Andrew Neel's documentary 'How to Feed a Dictator' juxtaposes the opulent dishes prepared for some of history's most brutal dictators with the starvation endured by their citizens. The film features interviews with chefs who served Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Augusto Pinochet, and Kim Jong-il, many of whom show little remorse.
Chefs' Perspectives
Charles Otonde Odera, who once prepared a human heart 'perfectly' for Amin, is portrayed as the most clear-eyed. Keo Samoun, recruited as a teenager to cook for Pol Pot, still brings food to his grave. Chilean cook Coco Pacheco remains unrepentant, while Italian chef Ermanno Furlanis expresses bafflement at making pizza for Kim Jong-il.
The Stark Contrast
The film highlights the chasm between the rulers' lavish meals and the suffering of their people, who were forced to eat grass or worse. Journalists Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Riccardo Orizio provide insightful commentary on dictatorial cuisine.
'How to Feed a Dictator' screens at Bertha DocHouse from 7 August.
