UMaine Graduate to Premiere Quinoa Soup Documentary
A graduate of the University of Maine School of Policy and International Affairs (SPIA) debuts her documentary Quinoa Soup 7 p.m. Sept. 21 in Minsky Recital Hall in the Class of 1944 Hall on the Orono campus.
The free screening is open to the public. A $10 donation is suggested to assist with film production costs. To request a disability accommodation, call David Adkins at 207.581.1781.
Kate Kirby, who earned a master’s in global policy in 2013, says she was motivated to act after reading that Bolivians could no longer afford quinoa — their staple grain — due to it being in high demand by health-conscious and gluten-free consumers in the U.S.
“I had been studying food security and sustainable community development, but was looking for a poignant way to raise awareness and inspire change around issues I had been exposed to abroad that are directly related to the decisions we make here,” she says.
A month later, Kirby borrowed two cameras and flew to Bolivia to document discoveries with fellow 2013 SPIA graduate Muna Abdullahi and childhood friend Natalia Valdivia Salinas.
For more information, visit facebook.com/QuinoaSoupDocumentary.