- Films exploring dictators’ kitchens, farming and the journey of a Cape Breton bluefin tuna earn recognition alongside Nova Scotia’s young filmmakers.
- Pirate Produce, from Canadian filmmaker Sandy Chronopoulos, follows pastry prodigy turned regenerative farmer Shane Harper at two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Pearl Morissette, named Canada’s best restaurant two years running.
- Cape Breton bluefin tuna story Bite to Bite receives an Honourable Mention for Best Feature Documentary.
- Nourish Nova Scotia Youth Food & Film Challenge: The Story of Our Chowder by Lexi Barbour, 12, of Redcliff Middle School takes top honours, with Clicky the Crab by Dax Vincent, 12, of the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education named runner-up.
October 26, 2026, Wolfville, NS — The 16th annual Devour! The Food Film Fest wrapped Devour! The Sea today with its Golden Tine Awards Brunch at Devour! Studios, celebrating the best in culinary cinema from a program of 50 films from 23 countries. This year’s jury, award-winning science journalist Karen Pinchin, author of Kings of Their Own Ocean: Tuna, Obsession, and the Future of Our Seas; TIFF producer and former Inside Out Artistic Director Andrew Murphy; and Karen Wentzell, Nova Scotia producer of Diggstown and Trailer Park Boys and President of Waterstar Entertainment, presented five Golden Tine Awards and two Honourable Mentions.
From Canada’s Best Kitchen to the Farm: Pirate Produce
Among the most talked-about films of the week, Pirate Produce received an Honourable Mention for Best Short Documentary. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Sandy Chronopoulos (House of Z), the film tells the story of Shane Harper, a pastry chef prodigy whose career was derailed by a rare neurological illness that took his vision, balance and sense of taste. Harper walked away from the kitchen and found a new calling as a regenerative farmer, growing the ingredients that now help define the menu at Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Jordan Station, Ontario, ranked No. 1 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list in both 2025 and 2026 and the holder of two Michelin stars. Harper and Chronopoulos attended the film’s Devour! screening on Friday, October 23.
“We’ve been touched by how many chefs have suffered burnout from the pace and expectation at a professional level where creativity, and a desire to change how we see the world through the food on our plate, is now measured by how many followers you have on social media,” said Andrew Murphy, jury member. “This short documentary tackles both professional and health struggles, all whilst falling in love with the land, your person, and negotiating a new eye patch.”
“Shane’s story stopped our audience in its tracks,” said Lia Rinaldo, Managing Director, Devour! The Food Film Fest. “We all know the food that comes out of Canada’s best restaurant. Pirate Produce shows us the person, and the soil, behind it. Sandy has made a film about resilience that every chef and every diner should see.”
2026 GOLDEN TINE AWARD WINNERS
🏆 Best Feature Drama Hallo Betty (Hello Betty) — Directed by Pierre Monnard (Switzerland, Distributor Picture Tree International, 107 min.) In 1956 Switzerland, advertising visionary Emmi Creola invents Betty Bossi, a fictional housewife who becomes a national culinary icon. “Visually, this movie was perfection,” said Karen Wentzell, Devour! Jury member. “The real-life Emmi Creola not only educated a country about food, but also upended misogyny in what was at the time a ‘Mad Men’ world of advertising… it tackles the heavy topic of misogyny with the lightest touch.”
🏆 Best Feature Documentary How to Feed a Dictator — Directed by Andrew Neel (USA, Distributor Cocreated Media, 95 min.) Chefs who cooked for brutal authoritarian regimes in Uganda, Chile, North Korea and Cambodia reveal what it was like inside those kitchens. “In this unflinching documentary, four chefs… reveal how food can function as a weapon of absolute power,” said Karen Pinchin, Devour! jury member. “Even today, food is weaponized, ranging from banquets to tariffs by would-be despots and bullies.”
🎖 Honourable Mention: Best Feature Documentary Bite to Bite — Directed by Kelly Lipscomb (USA, Distributor Widespread Creative, 77 min.) Devour!’s 2026 Spotlight Gala film follows a giant bluefin tuna caught off Cape Breton all the way to Japan’s legendary Tsukiji market. “Like a skillful magic trick, this beautiful film achieves a remarkable degree of clarity and seamless storytelling,” said Andrew Murphy. “From Atlantic Canada’s bluefin fishery to the bygone Tsukiji fish market, this film captures rare scenes — many that will never again appear on film.”
🏆 Best Short Drama Samsa — Directed by Gianpiero Pumo (Italy, 15 min.) A young cook, Nasir, must create one extraordinary dish that tells his own story to win a place at a prestigious cooking school. The jury called it “visually arresting and politically urgent… a wrenching, gorgeous exploration of identity, belonging, and globalization,” praising Abdoulie Manjang’s performance as Nasir as “a remarkable achievement.”
🏆 Best Short Documentary The Soil Remembers — Directed by Rio Oshiro (USA, 21 min.) Born of the devastation of Hurricane Helene, the film follows the farmers of Montgomery Sky Farm as they recover from burnout by serving their community and the land.
🎖 Honourable Mention: Best Short Documentary Pirate Produce — Directed by Sandy Chronopoulos (Canada, Good Grit Films, 30 min.) After a devastating illness ends his culinary career, pastry prodigy Shane Harper finds new purpose as a regenerative farmer for Restaurant Pearl Morissette.
🏆 Best Animation Buffet Paraiso (Paradise Buffet) — Directed by Héctor Zafra & Santi Amézqueta (Spain/France, 8 min.) “Art can be uncomfortable,” said Karen Pinchin. “Using gluttonous scenes reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch, Dante’s Inferno, and French Film Noir, this work transports us to a universe fuelled by gluttony in which eaters become the eaten.” The jury praised its insight and courage as a parable of the food system’s unjust realities.
Nourish Nova Scotia Youth Food & Film Challenge
Every year, Devour! and Nourish Nova Scotia host a youth film challenge, with winning films showcased during Devour!’s Big Picture Program and the Opening Gala. This year’s winner is The Story of Our Chowder, directed by Lexi Barbour, age 12, Redcliff Middle School. The runner-up is Clicky the Crab, directed by Dax Vincent, age 12, Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education.
Looking Ahead
“This year we set out to take audiences from sea to screen to plate, and our jury has honoured films that do exactly that, from a Cape Breton tuna to a farm in Niagara to a buffet that eats its guests,” said Michael Howell, Executive Director, Devour! The Food Film Fest + Studios. “Thank you to our jury, our filmmakers and everyone who came to Wolfville to devour the sea with us.”
Devour! Studios, a year-round cultural and culinary space in Wolfville, will host Tide to Table: A NS Seafood Masterclass with Chef Paul Thimot in 2027 (May 12–14, June 16–18, July 14–16, August 11–13 and September 15–17), along with more events throughout the year. The studio is also available for rent; details are at devourstudios.com. The 17th Devour! The Food Film Fest returns to Wolfville in October 18-24, 2027.
“These films give us so much to talk about beyond what’s on the plate: who holds power, how we care for the land and sea, and what it takes to start again,” said Lia Rinaldo, Managing Director of Devour! The Food Film Fest. “This year’s award recipients from around the world brought extraordinary stories to Wolfville, and our young Nova Scotia filmmakers reminded us that you don’t need a big budget or decades of experience to tell a story worth watching.”
About: Devour! The Food Film Fest is the world’s largest food film festival. The Festival’s finely curated program highlights current food trends and issues, farming, sustainability, and the impact of current food systems on our lives, while proudly showcasing international and local chefs who help us taste the screen.
Media Contact: Natasha Compton BeCurious PR natasha.compton@becuriouspr.com 902.499.4095
