WOLFVILLE, NS (Sept. 9, 2014) – From Japan to Argentina and beyond, Devour! The Food Film Fest serves up its best menu yet. Fill your plate with more than 50 films by some of the most acclaimed directors, chefs from around the world paired with Nova Scotia’s top chefs, 15 industry workshops, five dinners inspired by feature films, and over a dozen events to whet the appetite of the most enthusiastic cinevore.
From November 12-16, Wolfville, Nova Scotia plays host to the fourth installment of Devour!, the world’s largest festival focused on food and film.
“Wolfville, Nova Scotia is Canada’s Secret Foodie Destination and Devour! is the perfect platform to showcase the best of what we have to offer,” said Michael Howell, Devour! Executive Director. “Our mission is to entertain and educate through the lens of food. This collision of food and film in a locale rich with culture and cuisine inspires us to create perfection on a plate.”
This year, Devour! will screen 18 new features and 37 shorts including the world premiere of Canadian film Shuckers directed by Jon Deitcher and produced by Chef Chuck Hughes. Other highlights include the much-lauded Food Chains by Sanjay Rawal and El Somni, an operatic multimedia feast from Spanish director Franc Aleu.
“This program is the exciting culmination of a year’s work – all of the research, connections, hard work and wonder is now going to show up on screen and on your plate,” said Lia Rinaldo, Devour! Managing Director, “It’s been thrilling to have people jump on board for the ride along with us, from the filmmakers to chefs, writers and industry leaders.”
This year also marks the beginning of a relationship with the Berlin Film Festival. Thomas Struck, the Curator of Berlinale’s Culinary Cinema program, will chair an esteemed jury that will select the winners of the coveted Golden Tine Award in four categories. Struck is joined by jury members Lucy Waverman, author and food columnist (The Globe and Mail) and award-winning documentary filmmaker Aube Giroux (PBS Kitchen Vignettes).
A popular and growing highlight of the festival is the comprehensive series of 15 inspiring panels and hands-on industry sessions. This year includes culinary demos by all visiting chefs, sessions with James Beard award-winning The Perennial Plate, world-renowned blogger MattBites, venerated New York magazine food critic Gael Greene, and Emmy award-winning executive producer Michael Steed from Mind of a Chef and CNN’s Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.
A veritable buffet of mouth-watering events round out the festival and include celebrated international chefs paired with the region’s top chefs to create decadent meals inspired by feature films including Top Chef competitors Jesse Vergen, Connie DeSousa, and Todd Perrin; delicious food and wine excursions including the return of the popular All You Need is Cheese Express and the addition of the new Bubbles Bus and the Cajun-Acadian Express, featuring New Orleans Chef Stephen Stryjewski (Pêche Seafood Grill); the Select Nova Scotia Food Truck Rally, North America’s hottest food trend, is expanded with more trucks over more days; Devour! The Grills features three rounds of distinctly different chefs taking turns on the Big Green Egg at the Wolfville
Famers’ Market; Devour!’s own mixologist Jeffrey Van Horne shakes up the signature festival cocktail every night at the official after-party party; and a traditional down-home Nova Scotia kitchen party featuring live music.
Devour! iced its own cake earlier this summer when it announced its opening gala featuring Emmy award-winning CNN journalist and author Anthony Bourdain welcomed by 16 local chefs who will create a feast for the senses. This signature Nova Scotia event will feature an Order of Good Cheer celebration inducting all visiting chefs and guests. Following the gala, Bourdain will introduce the opening festival screening of Eat Drink Man Woman, participate in an audience Q&A and host a one-hour book signing at the Devour! Opening Gala Post-Reception.
“Devour! would not be the exceptional festival that it is without the generous support of many partners,” noted Howell, who thanked everyone including the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Taste of Nova Scotia, Acadia University, the Town of Wolfville, the Municipality of the County of Kings, Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia, Big Green Egg, Scotian Gold, Bishop’s Cellar, Radio 96.5, Select Nova Scotia and the festival’s first private benefactors and arts supporters, Margaret and David Fountain. Howell was pleased to announce a brand new partnership with Gusto TV, Canada’s newest Food & Lifestyle Channel.
Food and film heavy hitters turned out last night at the Drake Hotel in Toronto to help launch the official program for the most anticipated fall festival. Celebrities Jason Priestley, who is also a Devour! Advisory Board member, and last year’s opening night host Bob Blumer (Glutton for Punishment) were among those in attendance.
The full program and tickets for the festival’s screenings and events will be available on Monday, September 22 through the Devour! website and Ticketpro. Tickets will also be available by phone at 1-888-311-9090 and at all Ticketpro locations in Nova Scotia.
ABOUT DEVOUR! THE FOOD FILM FEST
Devour! The Food Film Fest is an international festival celebrating cinema, food and wine culture. The five-day festival takes place in the culinary epicenter of Nova Scotia – the town of Wolfville, Kings County. The festival is a celebration of food on film, the culture of food and the dramatic impact it has on our day-to-day lives. The fourth edition of Devour! The Food Film Fest is slated for November 12-16, 2014.
ABOUT THE LOCATION
Only one hour from Halifax, the Town of Wolfville and Kings County provide the perfect setting for the festival. It is situated in a rich agricultural area and is also home to one of Canada’s top universities, a number of historic theatres and an assortment of unique local venues that are all within walking distance and are set against the beautiful landscapes of hills, valleys, rivers and the mighty Bay of Fundy.
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Media Contact – Robyn McIsaac e. robyn@devourfest.com c. (902) 440-1551
