News

CIA grad Thu Tran ’05, the creator and host of the Independent Film Channel’s award-winning show Food Party, will appear in person on Sunday, September 12 when the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque presents the special program “A Food Party Party with Thu Tran” at 7pm in CIA’s Aitken Auditorium. Ms. Tran will show highlights from her hit TV series and answer audience questions about it.

Food Party is a unique, whimsical blend of Julia Child and Pee-wee’s Playhouse that airs on Tuesday nights on IFC. Co-written, directed, designed, and shot by other CIA alumni, the surreal show features puppets who help Ms. Tran prepare gourmet delights in a colorful, cardboard kitchen for visiting “celebrity” guests.

Begun in Cleveland as a web series, Food Party soon relocated to Brooklyn, New York, where IFC picked it up and commissioned two seasons’ worth of shows. There are now 31 separate episodes, each less than 15 minutes in length. In April, Robert Lloyd in The Los Angeles Times called Food Party “my current favorite TV show.”

Tickets to “A Food Party Party with Thu Tran” cost $10 (Cinematheque members $7) and must be purchased at the door on Sunday, September 12 between 2:45 and 3:45pm or after 6pm. Free parking is available in the Cleveland Institute of Art lot. The program is presented courtesy of IFC with special thanks to Douglas Marshall. For information or images, call Tim Harry or John Ewing at 216.421.7450 or go to cia.edu/cinematheque.