Lights. Cutlery. Action: 14th Annual Devour! The Food Film Fest Opens with the Canadian Premiere of "La Cocina" and Brings The New Faces of Food and Ethical Eating To The Screen and Plate
- Making its Canadian debut, "La Cocina" is a pressure cooker drama starring Raúl Briones and Mara Rooney. It looks at immigrants chasing their dreams and the cultural divide in a NYC kitchen. The Hollywood Reporter describes it as "the Bear on cocaine with a Red Bull chaser."
- Celebrity immigrant chefs Angel Ramirez Betancourt, one of the world's top pastry chefs and Meeru Dhalwala, co-founder of Vij's and Lila in Vancouver, will share how their cultural roots have played a role in their cuisine and discuss the new faces of the Canadian food scene.
- Two celebrated international film experts, Dieter Kosslick, former Director of the Berlin International Film Festival and current artistic director of GREEN VISIONS POTSDAM and Jacopo Chessa, Executive Director of the Veneto Film Commission, will be judging this year's films.
WOLFVILLE, NS, Sept. 5, 2024 /CNW/ - The 14th Annual Devour! The Food Film Fest, the largest food film festival in the world, brings world-class change makers to explore immigrants' role in food culture and our progress in ethical eating to Wolfville, Nova Scotia, on October 23-27, 2024. This year's festival includes 60 events, 50 films, 25 screenings, an Ethical Eating Celebrity Chef Dinner based on Food, Inc. 2, Chefs and Shorts Gala, three-panel discussions, 14 workshops and community events. The full program and tickets are now available at www.devourfest.com.
The opening gala film, "La Cocina," directed by the rising Mexican talent Alonso Ruizpalacio, sets the tone. At the same time, "Food Inc. 2", the sequel to the 2008 Oscar®-nominated and Emmy® award-winning documentary, "Food, Inc." shares a hopeful look at the progress we have made in ethical eating. An original player in the Slow Food Movement, Dieter Kosslick, German film critic and former Director of the largest film festival in the world, The Berlinale and current artistic director of GREEN VISIONS POTSDAM, and Jacopo Chessa, Executive Director of the Veneto Film Commission, will be attending this year's Festival as Jury members.
"The opening gala film sets the explosive tone for this year's festival, and immigrants' impact on our evolving food scene comes across loud and clear," says Lia Rinaldo, Managing Director, Devour! The Food Film Fest. "From Toronto-based Chef Sash Simpson's autobiographical film "Born Hungry" to food producers like Frances Ward, a kelp farmer in BC, whose film, "Send Kelp!," will convince you kelp is the next superfood to "The Ballad of Tita and the Machines," which pits AI against an elderly fieldworker, this year's films will make you laugh, cry and inspire you to think differently about food."
Famous game-changing chefs and producers who will bring these films to life on the plate include:
- Angel Ramirez Betancourt is one of the world's top pastry chefs.
- Vancouver restaurant legend Meeru Dhalwala is the co-founder of Vij's and Lila.
- Nova Scotian-born chefs Timothy Charles, executive chef of Fogo Island Inn and Seadon Shouse, executive chef at Halifax Hoboken at the W Hotel, NYC and Coast Kitchen in California.
- Top Chef Canada contender and Indigenous chef Stéphane Levac.
- The top seafood sustainability expert and chef, Robert Clark.
- Italian Toronto chef Dario Tomaselli, a Mediterranean food expert.
- Rising star chefs Andreas Preuss, Oxalis, a European farm-to-table restaurant in Nova Scotia, and Winnie Chen from the award-winning Fu's Repair Shop in Edmonton, a little bit dim sum, a little bit Hong Kong diner and a whole lot of fun.
- Michael Palij, M.W., the Youngest Master of Wine in his time.
- Former punk rocker and international olive oil expert Fil Bucchino.
- Master Chocolatier and chef, Julien Rousseau of Rousseau's Chocolates.
Special events at this year's Festival include a kick-ass cookie workshop by Angel Ramirez Betancourt, a Fogo Island-foraged luncheon with chef Timothy Charles, an NS-foraged luncheon with Stéphane Levac, wine tastings with Master of Wine Michael Pali, and demystifying olive oil tasting with Fil Bucchino. On Saturday, October 26, the New Canadians Street Food Celebration will celebrate female New Canadians transitioning to small food businesses in Nova Scotia. Enjoy small $5 bites and live music at the Wolfville waterfront.
"Devour! is the only festival that allows people to truly taste the screen. We are thrilled with the community of game-changing chefs and producers joining us this year," says Michael Howell, Executive Director, Devour! The Food Film Fest. "From Robert Clark, a top sustainable seafood expert, to Meeru Dhalwala, this year will immerse us in the new Canadian culinary scene."
Festival favourites like the Devour! Chowder Smackdown; Le Tour de l'Acadie (bike ride), the Great Devour! Community Chicken Supper, supporting regional food banks, will be back and offer a family and budget-friendly way to experience this year's festival. VIP All Inclusive Passes and Weekend Getaway Packages with the Old Orchard Inn are available at devourfest.com.
About:
Devour! The Food Film Fest is the largest food film festival in the world. The annual week-long festival is a transformative food and film experience combining cinematic excellence with 60+ events, celebrated filmmakers, and high-profile chefs from around the globe. Devour! challenges people to think differently and create a deeper connection to food. The festival's finely curated program highlights current food trends and issues, farming, sustainability, and the impact of current food systems on our lives.
SOURCE Devour! The Food Film Fest
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Media Contact: Natasha Compton, BeCurious PR, [email protected], 902.499.4095
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