Pressure Cooker

Wednesday, May 27 - Thursday, June 4, 2009

FINAL DAY! ENDS THURSDAY, JUNE 4! Three seniors at Philadelphia’s Frankford High School find an unlikely champion in the kitchen of Wilma Stephenson. A legend in the school system, Mrs. Stephenson’s hilariously blunt boot-camp method of teaching Culinary Arts is validated by years of scholarship success. Against the backdrop of the row homes of working-class Philadelphia, she has helped countless students reach the top culinary schools in the country. And under her fierce direction, the usual distractions of high school are swept aside as Erica, Dudley and Fatoumata prepare to achieve beyond what anyone else expects from them.

“Both a tribute to a teacher who actually cares and kids who actually want to learn. Would that there were more people like them.”—New York Post

“This documentary is breathtakingly equal opportunity in its search for human poetry.”—Slant Magazine

“Gripping, funny and ultimately touching throughout, a feel-good story without the sticky, saccharine residue.”—Movieline.com

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.