BANANA PANCAKES AND THE CHILDREN OF STICKY RICE

A film by Daan Veldhuizen
2015, 94 minutes
No. 036
DOCUMENTARY


BANANA PANCAKES AND THE CHILDREN OF STICKY RICE

$375.00
Description
For centuries, the economic and social fabric of life in this small, remote village in northern Laos has remained essentially the same. But that changes when the widely-read Lonely Planet guidebooks identify it as a place where one can experience a traditional way of life; quickly making it a popular destination for Western backpackers.

Banana Pancakes and the Children of Sticky Rice is an illuminating and incisive examination of globalization; eschewing a too-easy, black-and-white read of the subject, and opting instead for a nuanced and complex assessment.

For some residents, the backpackers are unwelcome guests. But for many, they represent new economic opportunities, a chance to partake in what the West has to offer. The backpackers too are conscious of their role; that they might be disrupting and changing the very lifestyle they have come here to experience.

Beautifully photographed, this brilliant documentary captures this schism, this tug-and-pull of civilization, and presents a microcosm of our changing world; for centuries, the children of this village ate bowls of sticky rice for breakfast, but these days, more are preferring the sweetness of banana pancakes.

Festivals
* Official Selection, Margaret Mead Film Festival
* Official Selection, Rotterdam Film Festival
* Official Selection, Chicago Film Festival

Reviews
"Banana Pancakes is something remarkable." - Film Comment

"Highly recommended." - Educational Media Reviews Online

"A jewel of a film." - Front Row

"Filmmaker Daan Veldhuizen's deceptively appealing encounter with villagers in a small Laotian town as they begin to welcome Western tourists is far more perceptive and sly than it first seems." - Indiewire