Ron Howard on His Documentary About the Lifesaving Work of José Andrés: "This Subject Is the Most Important I Have Ever Dealt With."

"Ultimately, it's about volunteerism," Howard (pictured at top) told MediaVillage during a post-screening interview at Andrés' Little Spain restaurant in New York City. "José is the alpha volunteer we are focused on. His achievements are proof that individuals can find a way through activism."

Andrés (pictured below) is as close to a superhero as men get, so it should come as no surprise that Howard, one of Hollywood's top directors and producers, would take notice. We Feed People chronicles the efforts of Andrés and his World Central Kitchen team, who for years have been showing up to feed victims of disasters -- both natural and man-made -- no matter where they are. They somehow come up with food, then cook and deliver healthy meals to people suffering the ravages of floods, fires, earthquakes and war. Desperate folks who find themselves without shelter and have no idea where their next meal is coming from regularly find Andrés, in a T-shirt and utility vest, swooping in.

Like so many of us, Howard was already impressed by Andrés. Nat Geo was also interested in him, Howard noted, but it took some convincing for the chef to say yes to the sort of deep dive Howard achieves as director. Once Andrés consented, Howard had a wonderful subject, and nothing was off-limits.

"This subject is the most important and most immediate I have ever dealt with," Howard said. "This is not just approaching or being entertained by an achievement. We have a call to action. We are telling people to reach out to wck.org."

Howard oversaw roughly 1,000 hours of footage culled into the 87-minute long film. Andrés was an excellent subject; he did not stop the cameras even the one time he lost his patience. A volunteer had given someone asking for food her share -- but out of turn. Andrés, who understands that systems need to be established and followed or chaos ensues, later apologized to the volunteer and the woman for raising his voice. That, though, is the worst of him -- stressed, exhausted and still feeding the hungry. So basically, Andrés' worst moments are what we should all aspire to.

Still, many people would have tried to have that scene deleted. "It was important to show José's emotional vulnerability, the wear, and tear," Howard explained. "He was okay with that. If he had asked for me to take it out, I am sure that I would have thought long and hard about it. But he didn't."

Instead, Andrés allowed himself to be shown precisely as what he is -- a loving husband, dad and nurturer. The miraculous part is that World Central Kitchen and Andrés accomplish what governments can't or won't. While bureaucrats fritter away time establishing ad hoc committees and making life more complicated, Andrés acts.

"I am good at figuring out that big problems have very simple solutions," Andrés says in the film.

The gripping documentary opens with shots of floods and cars bobbing on what had been highways the day before. The film never succumbs to misery theater, which would be so easy to do when people's lives have been wrecked. It shows the devastation -- most of it caused by severe weather, a result of the climate crisis. Andrés and his ever-growing army of volunteers find kitchens and start cooking. They also learn what locals like and cater to wherever they are.

It's impossible to watch this film and not want to help, chop, cook, serve and feed those left with nothing. Howard laughed as he recalled losing his staff's time to Andrés. They were helping him unload cartons from trucks, and Howard had to remind them to keep the cameras running.

Andrés is so without ego or pretension about his work that he does not have a title at World Central Kitchen. He gives his name to a reporter at a flood as, "José, just José.">