Last night I saw “Focaccia Blues”, an Italian documentary set in a real-life town in Puglia. It’s a satirical story about McDonald’s opening a restaurant in a typical Italian town where, naturally, there isn’t much appreciation for fast food. The focaccia maker next door to the McDonald’s assisted the giant in their permanent closure. It’s a pretty light look at the situation, but is a charming look at the Italian food culture. The icing on the cake was a visit – in the flesh – by Cliff Leir who brought focaccia for the entire audience from his Fol Epi wood-fired oven bakery in the Dockside Green development. There is a second showing of “Focaccia Blues” the evening of Thursday February 4th.
Today I attended “The Coca Cola Case”. A powerful look at Coca Cola’s involvement in paramilitary operation particularly in Colombia and Guatemala, this Canadian documentary is well worth seeing. It’s admirable to see the fight of the selfless lawyers and the people who have been affected by torture and death that is directly linked to this corporate giant. It certainly left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Cooking With Stella” will be screened this evening, a Canadian film which takes place in India. “Food Design” screens Sunday February 7th, the final day of the festival. It is a German documentary that sounds very intriguing:
Food Design shows how form, color, smell, consistency, sounds eating, technique, and even history influence what we consume and how we consume it. It's a documentary that wants you to think of foodstuffs in the same way as Armani suits, Alessi coffee cups and Ferraris. It's making a case for a design discipline that has received little attention, inviting its audience to take part in a sensual journey through the wonderful world of food. If that heavily manufactured sensibility of food frightens you more than just a little, be prepared to have your own assumptions challenged here. The people who think about food have already been thinking about those food assumptions too.
Purchase tickets on line victoriafilmfestival.com
Visit Kathy's website at www.TravelWithTaste.com
