PIEOWA: A Piece of America

 

A soulful slice of Americana.”      – Los Angeles Times

 

PIEOWA: A PIECE OF AMERICA, an award-winning 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, farmers, 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 LOTS OF PRESS

Guideposts magazine June/July 2026 issue (in print, not online)

KCRW 89.9 FM (NPR, Los Angeles) Good Food with Evan Kleiman

LA Times, Orange Co. edition Film Screening Brings Soulful Slice of Americana to Newport Beach

The Guardian Feature on PIEOWA and Beth

Little Village  ‘Pieowa’ is the taste-good, feel-good film of the year

Arts Midwest One Iowan’s Quest to Put Pie on the Big Screen

Eat Your Heartland Out Beth talks pie on popular podcast

Quiltfolk Pies and Quilts: Intertwined Language of Love

The Gazette  Iowans demonstrate the power of pie in new documentary

Iowa Public Radio “Talk of Iowa” interview

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 

PIEOWA is now showing beyond Iowa. More dates and locations are being added so keep checking back for updates. If you would like to host a community screening (church, school, senior center, civic organization, or for a fundraiser), please get in touch. If you’d like your local theater to show PIEOWA, ask them to contact me or send me their contact info.  

2026   

July 18 (2 PM) – Corning Opera House, Corning, Iowa. Pie will be served.
 
July 19 (3 showings: 1 PM, 4 PM, & 6 PM) – Harlan Theatre, Harlan, Iowa. Special screenings for RAGBRAI (bike ride across Iowa) overnight stop. Tickets at the door. 
 
July 21 (3 PM) – Boone Theater, Boone, Iowa. Special screening for RAGBRAI. Tickets here
 
July 22 (2 showings: 3:30 PM & 6:30 PM) – Plaza Theater, Marshalltown, Iowa. Special screenings for RAGBRAI. Beth will be doing a Q&A after the 3:30 show. Tickets here.
 
September 9 (1 PM) – Platteville, Wisconsin. Details to come. 
 
September 13Burlington, Iowa. Details to come.
 
October 8 (6 PM) – Historic Park Theatre, Estes Park, Colorado, sponsored by Estes Valley Library Friends & Foundation. Built in 1913, the Park Theatre is the oldest motion picture theatre in the United States. Pie will be served. Free to EV Library members. New membership is $20.
 
Don’t see your town listed? Please contact me to host a screening or bring the film to your community.
 

Want to visit all the pie places in the film?

Go to our new Pie Passport page for the guide.

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.

 

Check out this music video of The Pie Song by Weary Ramblers, written for PIEOWA

Some pics from the film shoot and screenings