PIEOWA: A Piece of America
“A documentary in the baking”
Winner Best Food Film 2025 San Antonio Film Festival and Award of Merit Impact DOCS Awards
How did Iowa become synonymous with pie? Why are Iowans and outsiders alike so obsessed with it? And what lengths will people go to for a slice? More importantly, how can pie unite us?
PIEOWA: A PIECE OF AMERICA, a feature documentary, celebrates the myriad ways pie is woven into Iowa’s (and America’s) culture, the lengths people will go to for a slice, and how this humble pastry can bake the world a better place. Audiences and critics agree that “it’s a tonic for what ails us.” The film features comedian Tom Arnold, NPR economics correspondent Scott Horsley (NPR = No Pie Refused), Better Homes & Gardens food editor Jan Miller, among other notable names, alongside everyday people — church ladies, farm wives, pie shop owners, State Fair pie competitors, chefs, food historians, RAGBRAI bike riders, and humanitarians of all ages. Wholesome and humorous, it will leave you feeling more hopeful about the world — and hungry for pie. (Run time: 76 minutes)
Producer/director of PIEOWA Beth M. Howard is the author of three pie-themed books and the former (and final) resident of the American Gothic House where she ran the Pitchfork Pie Stand. Howard experienced Iowa’s far-reaching influence of pie when she once got hired as a pie baker in Malibu, California. When asked what her qualifications were, she answered “I’m from Iowa” and got the job! Her film expands on the themes of her TEDx Talk, in which she espouses pie’s healing powers. how pie can build community and be used as a tool for social good.
WATCH THE PREVIEW.
PIEOWA IS GETTING GLOWING REVIEWS
Feature in The Gazette Iowans demonstrate the power of pie in new documentary
Listen to Beth’s interview about making the film on IOWA PUBLIC RADIO
Article on Salon.com Justice Would Taste Like the Best Pie Ever
Kyle Munson’s Main Street My Visit to the World’s Largest Kitchen
Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger A Lot More Pie on the Way
WHERE TO SEE THE FILM
We are now showing the film! I’ll keep adding dates to the list, but here’s what we have on the calendar so far. If you would like to host a screening, please get in touch! NOTE: Beth will be at many, but not all of the screenings.
September 6 (10 AM, Block O) – Silicon Beach Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA at the iconic Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. (Get tickets here)
September 6 (4:30 – Film Block G) – Iowa Independent Film Festival, Mason City Community Theatre, Mason City, Iowa
2026
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE PROJECT: I was the recipient of the 2025 Green Light Grant awarded by Iowa Economic Development Authority for $40,000 for post production: editing, sound, color, music, graphics, and now marketing and film screenings. The grant requires that I match 50% in additional funds. I’m so close, but I am still a little short. You can help me meet that $20,000 requirement by making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Creative Visions Foundation. Or buy a T-shirt from our custom RAYGUN site ($10 of each sale goes to the film.) I’m so grateful for your support!
Four slogans and colors to choose from in soft fabric. Made by RAYGUN. Ten dollars from each item goes toward funding the film.
Thanks for following along on this crazy but fulfilling adventure! For more regular updates, please sign up for my newsletter, and follow me on Facebook and Instagram at The World Needs More Pie.
