Wolfville, NS (July 16, 2020) – The world is entering a new normal, the country is reopening, and Nova Scotia is about to feed Emmy winner Phil Rosenthal, who will be joining Devour! virtually this year.
Due to the unprecedented times we are facing, the festival is thrilled to confirm this year’s reengineered format will allow the festival to go on. It will be a hybrid in-person and virtual festival, to take place from October 21-25, 2020 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
This transformative food and film experience will combine cinematic excellence with extraordinary gastronomic activities, pairing perfectly with headliner Phil Rosenthal, the creator and host of Emmy- nominated Somebody Feed Phil, an unscripted documentary series on Netflix which combines his love of food and travel with his unique brand of humour.
“I’m delighted to participate in Devour! The Food Film Fest as it celebrates my two favorite pastimes: eating and watching movies, which I frequently combine,” says Rosenthal.
Rosenthal created the hit CBS comedy Everybody Loves Raymond, which was nominated for over 70 Emmy awards – winning 15, including two for best comedy series, and a 2002 Writers Guild Award for Excellence in Television Writing. Rosenthal is also the author of You’re Lucky You’re Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom on the art of comedy and the making of a sitcom classic. His first travel food series, I’ll Have What Phil’s Having premiered on PBS in fall 2015 and received two Taste Awards as well as winning the 2016 James Beard Award for Best Television Program, on Location. In 2001, he co-wrote and won a Peabody Award and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for the 9/11 telethon America: A Tribute to Heroes.
“Phil perfectly embodies the Devour! The Food Film Fest experience with his love of all things food, travel and humour,” says Devour’s executive director, Michael Howell.
Rosenthal has hand selected the 2007 film Ratatouille directed by Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava, which will be screened at the Valley Drive in Theatre on opening night Wednesday, October 21. The film follows Remy, a determined young rat who dreams of becoming a renowned French chef in one of Paris’ finest restaurants.
Rosenthal will also take part in a post-film Q&A and interview hosted by gastronaut, artist, seven-time Guinness World Record holder, Food Network personality and longtime festival friend and supporter Bob Blumer.
While this year’s festival was originally intended to celebrate Devour’s 10th anniversary, Devour is dialing it back a notch with Devour 9.5. This will include a hybrid of live-streamed and in-person films, workshops and five key signature events that will take place outdoors with appropriate physical distancing measures: Beyond Terroir: Collaboration with Benjamin Bridge & The Glooscap First Nation; Great Devour! Chicken Dinner; Mayors’ Bike Ride for Devour!; Devour! Down Home Lobster Supper; and the new Devour! Drive-In, in partnership with the Valley Drive In Theatre.
“Because Devour is so experiential, attendees at home will get exclusive and delectable add-ons such as Devour meal-kit delivery so that they can whip up Devour dishes from the comfort of home, while local guests still get a taste for the fest in person on a smaller and more intimate scale,” says Devour’s managing director Lia Rinaldo.
Whether attendees join virtually or in-person, Devour! is cooking up something extraordinary thanks to support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and The Province of Nova Scotia, through its Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage. The full menu of chefs, filmmakers, films and events will be available by early September.
About Devour! The Food Film Fest
Devour! is a transformative food and film experience combining cinematic excellence with extraordinary gastronomic activities. The annual festival typically hosts 100+ events, celebrated filmmakers and high-profile chefs from around the globe. Devour takes place in Wolfville, Kings County, the agricultural heartland of Nova Scotia; home to a thriving wine industry and hospitable community with a longstanding farm-to-table ethos. Devour aims to inspire people to think differently about food and create a deeper connection to it.
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