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Pressure Cooker
Directed by Jennifer Grausman & Mark Becker 99 minutes, documentary, color, English, 2008
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| Synopsis
Theres a force-of-nature at Frankford High School in Philadelphia. Her name is Wilma Stephenson and she runs an infamous Culinary Arts boot camp for students. A teacher for 40 years, Wilma can be blunt and cantankerous but beneath her tough exterior is a person who cares passionately about getting the best out of her kids. Pressure Cooker documents an entire school year with Wilma and her students. At a school where over 40% of the students dont even make it to their senior year, Wilma shows her kids how to achieve her version of the American dream: Choose a realistic goal. Work hard. Work the system. And get out of Northeast Philly. At the end of the year, culinary students from all over Philly compete in a one-day cook-off, where top chefs judge the students skills and talent. Scholarships are on the line; success will depend upon how dedicated theyve been over the last year enduring stressful home lives while still finding the motivation to wake up at 6AM to get to class early enough to master crepes and tournée potatoes. Reviews "A heart-grabbing, awe-inspiring work that needs no embellishment." - Philadelphia Inquirer "Joyous!" - Seattle Times "Excellent! A fitting tribute to a selfless role model with an big heart and an indomitable spirit. Lets face it, they dont make em like Wilma Stephenson anymore." - Newsblaze "Both a tribute to a teacher who actually cares and kids who actually want to learn. Would that there were more people like them." - NY Post "Pressure Cooker may not get the royal hype accorded Julie & Julia, but it merits a place of honor at the table." - Washington Post "Breathtakingly equal opportunity in its search for human poetry." - Slant Magazine "I grew a deep hunger while watching Pressure Cooker, not just from the students mouthwatering dishes, but from the fact that teacher/chef Wilma Stephenson could uniformly inspire such success." - Film Threat Links Read about Rachael Ray's gifts to Frankford High in The Philadelphia Inquirer www.takepart.com/pressurecooker www.nonsequiturproductions.com
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