The world premiere of The Legacy of elBulli (Las huellas de elBulli), a film about the restaurant run by Ferran Adrià, will open the Culinary Zinema section of the 69th San Sebastian International Film Festival. The section will close with Délicieux / Delicious, a period fiction situated amidst kitchen stoves. The food themed films showcased in the Culinary Zinema section will be accompanied by themed dinners.
Journalists Iñigo Ruiz and José Larraza will present the world premiere of the documentary The Legacy of elBulli (Las huellas de elBulli), a polyhedral vision of the figure of Ferran Adrià, who closed the doors of his restaurant in the province of Girona ten years ago. The film looks at how the career of this Catalan chef once did, and still does, influence not only the world of gastronomy, but also creators in other disciplines.
Delicious (Délicieux), from the French filmmaker Éric Besnard, the film closing Culinary Zinema as a Spanish premiere, set at the dawn of the French Revolution, opens when a chef in the employment of nobility loses his taste for the trade and decides to return to his home in the country.
Three other non-fiction food-themed films in Culinary Zinema include The Pursuit of Perfection, focussing on four leading Japanese chefs; Reinventing Mirazur, on reinvention of the chef Mauro Colagreco, and Michelin Stars II: Nordic By Nature, narrating a visit to KOKS restaurant in the Faroe Islands.
San Sebastian International Film Festival – 2021 Culinary Zinema Films
LAS HUELLAS DE ELBULLI
IÑIGO RUIZ AQUERRETA (SPAIN), JOSÉ LARRAZA (SPAIN)
Country(ies) of production: Spain
OPENING NIGHT FILM
Las huellas de elBulli is a polyhedral vision of how Ferran Adrià’s career once did, and still does, influence not only the world of gastronomy, but also creators in many other disciplines and in the collective imagination in general. In July 2011 it will be ten years since the closure of elBulli, the restaurant that forever changed the face of world gastronomy. The time has come to follow the footprints left by Ferran and his team, footprints which remain alive today. For many it will be a revelation to realise just how many aspects of today’s foodie culture stem from a house hidden away in a remote cove in the province of Girona.
DÉLICIEUX / DELICIOUS
ÉRIC BESNARD (FRANCE)
Country(ies) of production: France
Cast: Grégory Gadebois, Isabelle Carré, Benjamin Lavernhe
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
France, 18th century. At the dawn of the French Revolution, the prestige of a noble house hangs above all on the quality of its table. When the talented chef Manceron is sacked by the Duke of Chamfort, he loses his taste for cooking and decides to return to his home in the countryside. There he meets the mysterious Louise, who restores his passion for cooking and helps him to open the first restaurant in France.
MICHELIN STARS II: NORDIC BY NATURE
RASMUS DINESEN (DENMARK)
Country(ies) of production: Denmark – Spain
The Faroe Islands are an ancient microcosmos of exciting products, Nordic history, tales, 37 words for fog and even more for fermentation, a thriving seafood industry, ravishing waterfalls, eccentric personalities, a native tongue, and the culinary pearl: KOKS. How is it possible to run a top restaurant like this at the end of the world? Prior to covid-19, people took immense detours to dine at this eatery serving food sourced from just 500 square miles of produce, in a rugged terrain and where the climate is subpolar, windy, wet, cloudy, and cold, with average temperatures close to freezing throughout the year, everlasting light in summer and a scorching darkness all through winter. In Nordic by Nature we dive into the poetic mind of young Faroese chef Poul Andrias Ziska, and seek to find the traditions, history and distinctive ancient practices that lie beneath the world’s most remote fine dining experience.
REINVENTING MIRAZURF
RANCK RIBIÈRE (FRANCE), VÉRANE FREDIANI (FRANCE)
Country(ies) of production: UK – USA – Japan – Switzerland
Mirazur, Argentine-born chef Mauro Colagreco’s 3 Michelin starred restaurant on France’s Mediterranean coast, was awarded Best Restaurant in the World on the eve of the pandemic. Not content to rest on their laurels, Colagreco and his diverse team soldiered on through the global tragedy of the lockdown, boldly reimagining the restaurant’s concept and menu to reflect their dedication to biodynamic principles. Mirazur re-emerged with a new and enthusiastic approach: the Moon Menu.
THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION
TOSHIMICHI SAITO (JAPAN)
Country(ies) of production: Japan
Focusing on four of the leading chefs in Japan today, this documentary explores the truth behind Japan’s unique and sophisticated food culture. Each takes meticulous care of their own dishes in pursuit of perfection, but their approaches are quite different, even contrasting. With different sets of roots and beliefs, some pursue spiritual cultivation or aesthetic creativity, while the others seek high-quality ingredients by building close relationships with local suppliers. How do their personalities and struggles result in their masterpieces? World-renowned food experts and gastronomists also guide the audience into the further depths of the stories behind the chefs’ endless pursuit. Through these four chefs, you’ll learn that Tokyo is one of the world’s greatest food cities.
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