The Berlin Film Festival's Culinary Cinema
section will be held under the motto "A Taste for Balance" from February
10 to 15, 2019. Ten documentaries and two fiction films focussing on
the relationship between food, culture, and politics are being presented
this year.
In this edition of Culinary Cinema, the topic of
"balance" comes up in all the films. "Keeping taste in balance is not
just a good idea for a healthy diet, but also a recipe for maintaining
democracy," says festival director Dieter Kosslick in explaining the
motto. For both of Chefs it is about balancing the past and the
present.
Culinary Cinema will host the world premiere of the
Netflix Original series Chef's Table documentaries on Asma Kahn and
Mashama Bailey.
Directed by FINCH's Zia Mandviwalla, Khan's episode was filmed on
location in London, Delhi and Los Angeles. Mandviwalla first attended the
festival as part of the Berlinale Talents in 2007. She will return to
Berlin to present the episode at a panel discussion with Chef's Table
creator and executive producer David Gelb.
Mashama Bailey is the chef and co-owner of The Grey, a restaurant housed in a formerly
segregated Greyhound Bus station in downtown Savannah, Georgia. Abigail
Fuller directed the episode, with cinematography by Chloe Weaver.
FINCH's
Michael Hilliard produced both episodes, with FINCH NZ producer Jimena
Murray serving as line producer and field producer on respective
episodes. Murray and Hilliard will join the event from the European Film
Market, where they are shopping FINCH's upcoming documentary slate.
Mandviwalla is represented by FINCH for branded entertainment and TVCs world wide.