The Tale of Silyan

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By C.J. Hirschfield

As the former CEO of Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, I appreciate a good folktale. As an aspiring  birder, I am fascinated by their remarkable species. And as someone who follows politics, I value learning about how governmental actions can have profound effects on the lives of working people.

National Geographic Film’s new documentary The Tale of Silyan checks all of these boxes for me—and is stunningly beautiful as well. Director/producer Tamara Kotevska, who also directed the 2019 Oscar-nominated Honeyland, weaves a tale about a down-on-his luck Macedonian farmer who creates a special bond with a wounded white stork—a story that very much parallels a beloved regional folk tale, in which a boy named Silyan is transformed into this regal bird. Continue reading →

EATING and DRINKING FILMS & MORE From THE SEATTLE FILM FESTIVAL

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By Vince Keenan

The 51st Seattle International Film Festival drew to a close on May 25, with a selection of entries available via streaming through June 1. At this year’s fest, I paid particular attention to nonfiction titles spotlighting the troika of subjects that matter most to EatDrinkFilms readers. Let’s begin with a libation.

Wine has its sommeliers, beer its cicerones. As the craft cocktail revolution took hold in the aughts, six authorities on spirits launched a program that would provide similar certification to bartenders. Continue reading →

A Feast of Cinematic & Culinary Delights

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A Marcella Hazan tribute dinner, 17 food-related films, and Michelin Chef Yoshinori Ishii’s masterclass on Japanese cuisine highlight a wine country festival starting Wednesday with 90+ events.

By Geneva Anderson

(March 16, 2025)

The Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF), March 19-23, offers an extravaganza of groundbreaking cinema, food, and fun spread over five days in glorious Sonoma, the heart of the wine country. All films are screened at venues in or within walking distance of the historic town square making SIFF one of the country’s most laid back and enjoyable festivals.  The full line-up includes over 90 films.

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You Stopped My World: From Menus-Plaisirs to La Cocina, A Reflection

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“You have to edit the material.

That assumes that some kind of a mind is operating in relation to the material. 

Not all minds are the same. 

Every aspect of filmmaking requires choice. 

The selection of the subject, the shooting, editing and length are all aspects of choice.” 

~ Frederick Wiseman

 

By Cari Borja

Quotes center me. I always begin with them. Whether at the start of a salon dinner, a birthday card, a performance installation, or a piece of writing. They lend focus. The above Wiseman quote does the same ~ his words, his films, his quote ~ a focus. Continue reading →

Memorable and Best Forgotten Thanksgivings

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Compiled by Gary Meyer (updated November 21, 2024)

The Internet can be a dangerous place to find the good, the bad and the ugly. Thanksgiving as a search subject is especially rewarding.  We present a sampling, mostly from the past. We found vintage greeting cards, Hollywood stars, ads for disgusting sounding foods, awkward family photos and all around nostalgia. You won’t believe what turkeys have been put through but we hope you will laugh and be astonished.

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The Art of Eating: The Life of M.F.K. Fisher

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By Julie Lindow

It is rare that watching a film can provoke a similar response as reading an author’s work, but The Art of Eating: The Life of M.F.K. Fisher does just that. One feels both starved and satisfied. Fortunately, Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher’s words on screen and paper not only awaken our hunger, but teach us how to listen to our own desires, how to slow down and pay attention, be curious, sensual, in the moment, and ultimately, how to more intensely live and love. Continue reading →

CULINARY FILM FARE AT SEATTLE’S 50TH FEST

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By Vince Keenan 

(May 22, 2024)

(Editor’s note: As people increase their frequency of going out to entertainment, most events that went virtual during Covid have returned to in-person presentations, including film festivals. The Seattle International Film Festival has programmed a number of their in-person selections for streaming through May 27 so that people not in the Seattle area can discover them.  Film lover and mixologist Vince Keenan writes about four Eat & Drink Films he saw at the festival.)

50th Seattle International Film Festival May 9–19, 2024

The Seattle International Film Festival has always offered a robust selection of movies about food and drink, “Culinary Cinema” being one of its staple programs. It continues the tradition in its fiftieth anniversary season. Several of the relevant titles are programmed in categories related to location—the Pacific Northwest and the Iberian Peninsula—which is only fitting, as the films all touch on and expand the concept of terroir. Continue reading →

Champagne Biopic “Widow Clicquot” opens Sonoma International Film Festival’s Tasty Program

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By Geneva Anderson

(March 16, 2024)

Haley Bennett rises to become the Grand Dame of Champagne  in Thomas Napper’s “Widow Clicquot”

The Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF27) is just around the corner, March 20-24.  Set in the heart of the wine country, with a program that emphasizes film, food, wine, parties, and community engagement, SIFF has twice been voted one of the 25 coolest festivals in the world by MovieMaker magazine.  SIFF27 showcases 43 narrative and 16 documentary features plus 48 shorts from over 25 countries. Continue reading →