'The Power of the Peep' by Matthew Beals
If Chocolat, Eat Drink Man Woman and Ratatouille are amongst your favourite films, chances are you would give your right arm and leg to attend a food and film festival. Hold your breath–the festival’s free, open to food and film buffs, and hosted in a cultural and epicurean mecca.
The third annual NYC Food Film Festival takes place from 13-19 June, inviting filmgoers to watch films, followed by tastings. Showcasing 25 films, this gourmet affair caters for 8,000 and promises to be a tantalising multi-sensory experience.
According to co-founder and festival director George Motz, the festival was conceptualised when he was working on the film Hamburger America with chef Harry Hawk.
“The NYC Food Film Festival celebrates food…Even our ad campaign this year is a riff on that theme where we tell the audience to ‘Watch what you eat’. It sounds like a warning, but we mean that literally,” Motz said.
Though the festival explores diverse cultures through food and film, it also provides a competitive platform for budding filmmakers with five award categories. So what can we expect?
“Ron Mann’s new film Know Your Mushrooms is screening and we have chef Brad Farmerie preparing a colossal mushroom tasting menu that includes shiitake ice-cream. Another night, we are screening the food film classic Big Night and making the famous timpano featured in the film for an estimated crowd of 1200,” Motz said.
One film that stands out is The Power of the Peep, which premieres on June 19 and depicts the journey of a marshmallow into the American way of life.
“The film is pretty rich with themes of fandom, the American dream, consumer culture and the commercialisation of holidays. It’s a story about what happens when the classic American dream enters the modern 21st century…For some, The Power of the Peep will be grounds for talking about all that is beautiful about America. And for others, it’ll be ground for talking about all that is insane about America,” said director Matt Beals.
The week-long festival will take place in three separate locations- Water Taxi Beach, LIC, Astor Center, Manhattan, and the new Water Taxi Beach, South Street Seaport- prompting talk about making this a national affair.
“We are certainly heading in that direction, but will try to keep the festival free and low-key”, Motz said. “Every year we are going to expand, but at a manageable rate. We’ve been asked to replicate the festival in LA, Chicago and Amsterdam, so who knows? Maybe someday we’ll come to your city!”
For more information, visit www.nycfoodfilmfestival.com
