Mark your calendar for June 26: Seth Unger of the NYC Food Film Festival tells us that this year, the fest will host “The World’s First Food Truck Drive-In Movie,” wherein “food vendors will set up shop and diners will come to eat and watch food films about the very vendors that they are dining with.” It all happens under the Brooklyn Bridge — food trucks haven’t been announced (maybe Café Habana’s forthcoming truck will participate?), but sweat the details later and get your free tickets starting today at noon. Oh! And check out the festival’s press release and line-up below.
NEW YORK, NY — Only a city as food-obsessed as New York could spawn the NYC Food Film Festival (www.nycfoodfilmfestival.com). Produced in association with the James Beard Foundation and benefiting the Food Bank For New York City, the 2010 NYC Food Film Festival runs from Wednesday, June 23rd to Sunday, June 27th. Summer 2010 marks the fourth year of this exciting week of events in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens where food and film enthusiasts are invited to taste what they see on the screen. Yes, the NYC Food Film Festival serves the food that is seen in the films. Some of the events feature free food films and free film foods. What more could you ask for?
Many of the Festival events will take place outdoors, including a new take on the beloved American tradition…the drive-in movie. On Saturday, June 26, from Noon to 10pm, the NYC Food Film Festival presents The World’s First Food Truck Drive-In Movie, where the food trucks drive in and the crowd arrives on foot. A caravan of the region’s best food trucks will assemble in Brooklyn, under the Brooklyn Bridge, offering authentic artisan fare from Waffles and Ice Cream to Pupusas and Cheeseburgers. Attendees can sample from this vast array of treats, and watch food films that celebrate the food truck tradition. FREE tickets to The World’s First Food Truck Drive-In Movie will be available on the Festival website starting Friday, April 17th, at noon, on a first come, first served basis.
The NYC Food Film Festival sprang from the fevered imagination of Festival Director George Motz, the documentary filmmaker behind the award-winning Hamburger America film and book, along with co-creator and Festival Executive Chef Harry Hawk, formerly of Schnäck and Water Taxi Beach. Through documentaries, features and short films, the Festival showcases the best, and the most memorable, of the world’s favorite foods. Along with a heaping helping of mouth-watering films, Motz, Hawk and company, will serve up the food that guests are watching on the screen for a multi-sensory, full-bodied experience.
Festival Director George Motz said, “There’s something about watching a food film that makes you want to eat the food in the film. At the NYC Food Film Festival, while you are watching a film about oysters, you’ll be eating oysters.”
“As a Chef, I’m really excited about our Official Film Selections and all the styles of food we will be presenting. Our jury selects our films and then my team has fun figuring out what dishes to highlight,” said Festival Executive Chef Harry Hawk.
Each year, the James Beard Foundation hosts a Festival Preview, called “Beard on Film”, that offers members and the public a tiny taste of the food and film to be featured during Festival week. This year, Beard on Film, presented by Jarlsberg, will take place at the James Beard House on the evening of June 3rd. Additionally, the James Beard Foundation and Jarlsberg will host a press preview lunch that same day. Accredited members of the press should contact the Festival’s press office to request an invitation.
Susan Ungaro, President of the James Beard Foundation, said, “The Festival has had a starring role in our roster of exciting food-related programs at the historic James Beard House and has played a key role in furthering our foray into new media.”
For the 2nd year in a row, the NYC Food Film Festival is proud to announce its partnership with the Food Bank For New York City, which will receive top tier integration throughout the Festival to remind guests that every New Yorker deserves to be fed. Additionally, a portion of Festival proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank to assist in its important work. When ordering tickets to Festival events, guests will have the option to support the cause and make an additional donation to the Food Bank.
NYC FOOD FILM FESTIVAL JUDGES
The NYC Food Film Festival is a competitive film festival that presents awards in six categories: Best Feature, Best Short, Best Super-Short, Best Film Made In New York, Food Filmmaker of the Year and the Audience Choice Award. The Official Selections of the 2010 NYC Food Film Festival will be reviewed by a judging panel comprised of members of New York City’s food and film communities. The 2010 judges are Brad Farmerie, executive chef of PUBLIC, The Monday Room, Double Crown and Madame Geneva, Cat Greenleaf, WNBC Feature Reporter for Today in New York and host of Talk Stoop, Laurence Kretchmer, co-owner and managing partner of Bobby Flay’s Bold Food, Pat La Frieda, President of Pat La Frieda Wholesale Meat Purveyors, Katherine Oliver, Commissioner of The New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting and Mark Pastore, Chief Operating Officer of Pat La Frieda Wholesale Meat Purveyors.
NYC FOOD FILM FESTIVAL PARTNERS
The NYC Food Film Festival is proud to announce its primary sponsors for 2010, which include Sugar in the Raw, Stevia in the Raw, Whole Foods Markets, Burger Maker, Jarlsberg, Bloomberg and Water Taxi Beach. Primary media partners include Edible Manhattan, Edible Brooklyn, Edible Queens and Edible East End.
Fee-Free Ticketing will be provided by TicketBiscuit.
Stay tuned to nycfoodfilmfestival.com for the full Festival Schedule and Festival Menu to be released in the coming weeks.
ABOUT THE NYC FOOD FILM FESTIVAL
Produced in association with the James Beard Foundation and benefiting the Food Bank for New York City, the NYC Food Film Festival has grown from an intimate food-nerd date-night destination to one of New York City’s most beloved festivals, and the largest of its kind in the world. Over 10,000 are expected to attend this summer in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. In September 2010, the Festival will expand into the Chicago market, another town with a fetish for food and film.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
NYC FOOD FILM FESTIVAL 2010
(list subject to change)
Beer Wars
Dir. Anat Baron - 80 min
An amazing journey into the heart of corporate beer and the small independent brewers it leaves in its wake.
The Chef’s Letter
Dir. Sybil H. Mair - 14 min
A successful chef is overwhelmed by unrequited love.
Down The Block
Dirs. Adam Abada & Reed Adler - 4:55 min
Adam, winner of the Made in NY Award at last year’s Festival, returns with an eating tour of the block he lives on.
Eating Right
Dir. Alison Perelman - 5:39 min
Explores the ways political campaigns use food, primarily diner photo ops, to connect with voters.
Etiquette
Dir. Bob McKenna - 4:40 min
Named for the French meaning of the word for ‘label’, this animated short explores the ubiquitous produce sticker.
Fast Food
Dir. Jonathan Fahn - 12 min
Goons from Scorcese movies take over a fast food joint.
Florent: Queen of the Meat Market
Dir. David Sigal - 87 mins
A loving tribute to restaurateur Florent Morellet, his 24-hour NYC diner, and its extensive family of patrons. Includes interviews with Julianne Moore, Christo, and Isaac Mizrahi.
Flowers, Fruit, Sugar, and Spices
Dir. Valeria Cavagnetto and Teresa Rocco - 24 min
A profile of the Pietro Romanengo Company, the oldest continuously operating confectioner in Europe. The 8th generation of the Romanengo family, which has been making candied fruits and stone-ground chocolates for over 200 years.
In De Keuken (In The Kitchen)
Dir. Erwin Bruyninckx - 33 min
A professional chef and two home chefs in Belgium follow identical recipes with differing results.
It’s Grits!
Dir. Stan Woodward - 45 min
Over 30 years ago, veteran filmmaker Stan Woodward rambled through the South gathering opinions on the subject of grits. Shot in the black-and-white cinema-verite style of his contemporary D.A. Pennebaker, this must-see classic is the definitive film on the subject. (screening out of competition)
Just a Drizzle of Oil of Lemon: Michael White
Dir. Jeff Zalaznick - 3:33 min
A glimpse in to the character of Chef Michael White and his new NYC outpost Marea
The Mud and the Blood
Dir. George Motz - 12 min
Collecting and roasting oysters is a specialty of the South and one of the best places to enjoy this Southern treat is the Lowcountry of South Carolina. (screening out of competition)
Naturally Risen
Dir. Michael Evans - 4:46 min
Straight-up pizza porn that follows the process of pizza making at Anthony Mangieri’s now-defunct Una Pizza Napoletana.
Night Market Taipei
Dir. Ajay Balakrishnan - 3 min
Pig’s Blood Popsicle anyone? This portrait of the night market in Taipei is inspirational.
Obsessives: Knifemaker
Dirs. Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin - 14:30 mins
A portrait of Brooklyn knifemaker Joel Bukiewicz and his custom-made chef’s knives.
Obsessives: Soda Pop
Dirs. Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin - 13 mins
Get to know John Nese, the owner of Galco’s Soda Pop Stop in Los Angeles, and his lifelong obsession with independent soda-makers.
Obsessives: Urban Farmer
Dirs. Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith - 12:41 mins
A short doc about Novella Carpenter, an urban farmer that commandeered a vacant lot next to her Oakland home to build a full-blown farm with goats, ducks, pigs and a robust garden.
An Ordinary Woman
Dir. Debra Zarne 1 min
This woman is cooking up something special.
Pasta Titles
Dir. Graham Burns - 2:19 min
Beautiful food porn that celebrates the cooking and eating of pasta.
The Perfect Oyster
Dir. Craig Noble - 6 min
There really is no one who can wax poetic about oysters like Brent Petkau. 2008 NYC Food Film Festival Feature Film Award winner Craig Noble returns with this portrait of a man and his oysters.
Pork Chop
Dir. Thomas Barnes - 9 min
A narrative slice of life about a girl in Hong Kong with secret desires.
Robert Box - Perfect for the Kitchen
Dir. James Reford - 4:55 min
Robert Box paints, and everyday kitchen items are his muse.
Smokes & Ears
Dir. Joe York - 19 min
Another beauty from the world of award-winning filmmaker Joe York. In his latest stop (in Jackson, MS) we learn from the regulars just how great a pig’s ear sandwich can be.
Squid Chips
Dir. Nora Tennessen - 6 min
After watching this short black ‘n white doc, you’ll want squid chips too.
What’s Virgin Mean?
Dir. Michael Davies - 2 min
Sometimes little questions need big answers.
Widow’s Hole Oysters
Dir. Liza de Guia - 6 min
Meet Oysterman Mike Osinski whose Greenpoint, Long Island oysters are one of the only varieties that can go from water-to-table in NYC in the same day.
Working The Miles
Dir. Joe York - 14 min
A visual portrait of a Gulf oysterman and his wife.
NYC Food Film Festival [Official site]
