Back for its 32nd edition, the Miami International Film Festival kicks off this Thursday, March 4. In addition to films that pay homage to Cuba and French style, this year's festival will feature five culinary movies, each with a very different look at the international food and wine industry. From a Peruvian celebrity chef who's using his fame to ensure a better life for young chefs and farmers to a quirky murder mystery that's fueled by some of the rarest bottles of wine, this year's collection showcases the ever-expanding world of gastronomy and how deeply it affects nearly every aspect of our lives.
If you're hankering for dinner and a movie, four of this year's five culinary showings will offer special dinner pairings. Whether you're mad for documentaries or prefer dinner in a fictional setting, this year's selection of culinary films is sure to please.
Finding Gastón (Buscando a Gastón) | Directed by Patricia Perez
After delving into Peru's thriving food culture with her debut documentary about Mistura, Latin America's largest culinary festival, Patricia Perez wanted to highlight the work of Gastón Acurio, Peru's top chef and most famous export. Spanning more than ten countries and nearly three years of filming, Finding Gastón follows Acurio as he inspires young chefs, cooks with the best in the world, and ultimately gives back to his homeland by focusing on the farmers and other producers, without whom his success wouldn't have been possible.
Finding Gastón screens Monday, March 9, at 6:50 p.m. at Tower Theater, 1508 SW Eighth St., Miami.
Rewined (Vinodentro) | Directed by Ferdinando Vicentini Orniani
A happy union of the disjointed storytelling from Pulp Fiction and the need to remember from Memento, this wine-driven murder mystery is as quirky as it is beautiful to watch. Rewined follows the life of Giovanni Cuttin, a lowly bank clerk who, after his first glass of wine, embarks on a journey to become Italy's most revered wine expert in just three years -- only to end up a murderer? Equal parts wine flick and crime drama, the film delivers an unexpected ending that's definitely worth sitting through the hilarious education in grapes, making a great juxtaposition to the independent spirit of Natural Resistance.
Rewined screens Thursday, March 12, at 7 p.m. at Regal Cinemas South Beach 18, 1120 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach.
Natural Resistance | Directed by Jonathan Nossiter
Not just for wine lovers, Natural Resistance follows four independent winemakers through Italy's picturesque countryside as they attempt to push back against the demands of the controversial DOC program, which they say is killing Italian wines. Much more than a film about some delicious undiscovered wines, Nossiter's film looks at the deeper problems of industrialized food and the future of agriculture.
City of Gold | Directed by Laura Gabbert
Just released in January to rave reviews, this documentary follows the life and epic dining habits of famed Los Angeles food critic Jonathan Gold as he eats his way through some of the best undiscovered kitchens in Southern California. Known for putting humble taquerias on par with world-class sushi joints, Gold has become a legend in the international food community, regarded as much for his style as his incredibly deep knowledge of foodways around the world. As much for the food lover as the pop culture junkie, City of Gold promises to be one of 2015's hottest documentaries.
City of Gold screens Saturday, March 7, at 3:30 p.m. at Regal Cinemas South Beach 18, 1120 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach.
East Side Sushi | Directed by Anthony Lucero
Using the multicultural makeup of Los Angeles as a backdrop, this light-hearted drama follows Juana as she tires of being a lowly cook and aims to break ground by becoming a female sushi chef in a male-dominated industry. A document that speaks as loudly to the importance of the Latino community in California's kitchens as it does to the often unfair realities of life in the male-dominant restaurant industry, East Side Sushi is a poignant debut for director Anthony Lucero.
East Side Sushi screens Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables.
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