ICHD - Screening and discussion of the documentary film "Ayi

The Intangible Cultural Heritage Days 2024 will focus on culinary and food practices, with a screening and discussion of the documentary film "Ayi".
Une cuisinière de rue est assise sur un tabouret devant sa table dans les rues de Shanghai
"Ayi" de Marine Ottogalli et Aël Thery © Ana Films‎

The "Intangible Cultural Heritage" (ICH) defined by UNESCO in October 2003 recorded eating habits and culinary practices for the first time in 2010. France was the first to register its "gastronomic meal", followed by other countries such as Japan, Greece, Italy, Kenya, Senegal and, more recently, Peru and Lebanon. To date, 18 countries and 5 regions have had their culinary and food heritage registered with UNESCO.

This documentary film tells the story of a woman named Ayi from a rural province in eastern China, who makes a living illegally from her cooking on the streets of a Shanghai neighborhood. Ayi and the women around her struggle to make a living and avoid the municipal police in a neighborhood slated for imminent destruction. The film reveals the chaos of an ultra-modern city working to extinguish practices deemed unhealthy and expel an unwanted population.

On this evening, we will welcome Aël Théry, one of the directors of this documentary, who will discuss the complex themes linked to street food in China with two anthropologist speakers.

Participants:

  • Aël Théry, anthropologist, research fellow at INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)
  • Sandrine Ruhlmann, anthropologist, research fellow at CNRS
  • Alice Doublier, anthropologist, specialist in Japan, research fellow at CNRS

This film won the "First Film Award" at the festival Jean Rouch 2020.