Eat, Drink, Watch: Food Films at the 58th San Francisco International Film Festival

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by Gary Meyer

The number of food films being made should not come as a surprise. PBS started the trend of cooking shows long ago and is still a leader in them, but now we have the Food Network, Cooking Channel, Food Matters TV and more offering 24 hours a day of programing about things to eat. Movies with food themes have spanned the history of cinema, but it wasn’t until Babette’s Feast , Like Water For Chocolate , Tampopo , Big Night  and others became box office successes that we started to see a genre develop. And the number of documentaries about food has exploded.  Continue reading →

San Francisco Silent Film Festival: Not Just A Custard Pie: Dining Dos and Don’ts from The Surreal World Of Silent Film Comedy

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by Paul F. Etcheverry

Can anyone question the value of humor in the early days of the seventh art?  In its 19th edition, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival (May 29–June 1) offers up belly laughs and bemusements amidst its diverse programming in the historic Castro Theatre.  The festival includes 17 wonderful silent-era features in preserved and restored prints, one program of extraordinary silent shorts and rarities, and the ever-popular “Amazing Tales From the Archives” program. 19 programs in all, and you won’t want to miss one!  Not to mention that all films are accompanied by live music! Here’s a rundown of some of silent cinema’s most comic, culinary moments. Continue reading →

Meals with Meredith: A Speedy Breakfast with Jon Favreau, Writer/Director/Star of CHEF

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by Meredith Brody

Chef  (2014) seems to have been designed with EatDrinkFilms and me in mind: a heartfelt movie about a Los Angeles restaurant chef whose over-the-top response to a blogger’s bad review is captured on video, and whose dissemination on social media precipitates both his firing and a midlife crisis that leads him back to his Miami roots and a joyous food truck odyssey across the USA.  Continue reading →

Editor’s Pick: The San Francisco Green Film Festival

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by Michael L. Guillén

In its fourth edition, and with special guests, panel discussions, and community events as value added, the San Francisco Green Film Festival (May 29-June 4, 2014) offers 50 new environmental films curated in thematic sidebars ranging from “Water”—featuring the 40th-anniversary screening of Roman Polanski’s Chinatown (1973) (and relevant to concerns over California’s drought)—”Liveable Cities,” “Healthy Kids,” “Nature,” “Oceans,” “Take Action,” and my focus at this year’s festival: “Food Security.” Continue reading →