A FILM BY JOANNA JAMES
“It is easier for a woman to become a CEO than a head chef." -- Bloomberg News
ABOUT A FINE LINE
A FINE LINE EXPLORES WHY LESS THAN 7% OF HEAD CHEFS AND RESTAURANT OWNERS ARE WOMEN, WHEN TRADITIONALLY WOMEN HAVE ALWAYS HELD THE CENTRAL ROLE IN THE KITCHEN.
Featuring intimate interviews with world-renowned chefs like Dominique Crenn, Lidia Bastianich, Cat Cora, Elena Arzak, Elizabeth Falkner, Maria Loi, Sylvia Weinstock, Michael Anthony and others, A FINE LINE explores pressing issues faced by women in the culinary arts and across all industries, including sexual and workplace harassment, access to capital, unequal pay, and lack of paid family leave and affordable childcare.
An uplifting American success story about perseverance, family, and food, A FINE LINE follows the personal story of Valerie James, a small town restaurateur with a larger than life personality who raised Joanna as a single mother on a mission to do what she loves while raising two kids and the odds stacked against her.
WATCH THE TRAILER
SCENES FROM THE NATIONAL SCREENING TOUR
A FINE LINE has become a call-to-action uniting women and men alike in the culinary and hospitality industries to create more equitable workplaces with diversity and inclusion as the benchmarks for workplace culture. The team behind A FINE LINE has done this by hosting a nationwide screening tour with thought-provoking panel discussions while honoring culinary change-makers who are reinvigorating their cities and states. Starting in Detroit, Baltimore, Houston and Las Vegas -- leading to the New York City theatrical premiere and D.C. advocacy event on Capitol Hill with members of Congress and our advocacy partner the National Partnership for Women and Families. The screening tour culminated in A FINE LINE's national broadcast premiere on PBS, the most trusted network on television, for Women's History Month.
ABOUT JOANNA JAMES, WRITER, DIRECTOR & PRODUCER:
Joanna's directorial debut with A FINE LINE, which she has produced and edited, has led to her passion of filmmaking and sharing people's stories. Joanna is the founder and CEO of Zoel Productions, an independent film, television and multimedia production company out of New York. Based on Joanna's experience making this film, combined with years of research and interviews, she developed the MAPP Impact Campaign to increase women in leadership. Prior to filmmaking Joanna was awarded best environmental reporting by the New England Press Association for an investigative piece she wrote. She interned for the Boston Globe's National Foreign Desk, and was later chosen to cover the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens for a Greek American newspaper.
SEE THE BUZZ!
ABOUT THE #MAPP SOCIAL IMPACT CAMPAIGN
A FINE LINE‘s social impact campaign MAPP is dedicated to empowering women to lead through mentorship and advocacy. In proud association with the National Partnership for Women and Families, and our partners PepsiCo, Grubhub, US Foods, Chef Works, and Markham Vineyards, together we can inspire and promote more women to become bright, bold leaders and change-makers.