Skip to main content

๐ŸŽฌ The 28th Annual Sarasota Film Festival is coming April 10–19, 2026  |  ๐ŸŽŸ Buy 2026 Passes 

2025 Sarasota Film Festival

Shelf Life

Documentary Feature

2024โ€ข 1 hr 16 minโ€ข USAโ€ข English, Arabic, French, Georgian, Japanese

Screenings

  • ๐Ÿ“…

    Wednesday, April 9 at 4:30 PM EDT

    Ends 5:45 PM EDT

    ๐Ÿ“

    New College of Florida/Sainer Pavilion

About this film

Take a quirky, globe-trotting journey through the world of cheese, and explore the craft of aging and its surprising parallels to human life. Eclectic โ€“ and eccentric โ€“ cheesemakers and mongers reflect on mortality and the art of perfection in this philosophical culinary delight. We travel to unexpected places such as Tbilisi and the prefectures of Japan, meeting cheesemakers, cheesemongers, and even cheese librarians whose perspectives on decay and dissolution are both charming and haunting. This unique culinary experience is interspersed with visual meditations meant to spark new questions and curiosities while also going behind the curtain of what it takes to make this beloved food. Not to be experienced on an empty stomach.

Credits

Director
Ian Cheney
Producer
Meredith DeSalazar, Rebecca Taylor, Manette Pottle
Executive Producer
Robyn Metcalfe
Cinematographer
Ezra Wolfinger
Editor
Natasha Bedu, Ian Cheney
Documentary FeatureFood
Shelf Life
Shelf Life โ€” production still
Shelf Life | Sarasota Film Festival 2025 | Sarasota Film Festival