On the occasion of the “Week of Italian Cuisine in the World”, scheduled from 22 to 28 November next, the Italian Cultural Institute of Rabat organised “Waiting for the Cooking Week: Cinema is served (Aspettando la Settimana della Cucina: Il Cinema e’ servito)”, a review of five films, proposed from 15 to 19 November 2021, which have as a central theme or take inspiration from Italian food and culinary traditions.
Today, 15 November, the first film will be screened: “I villani”, directed by Daniele De Michele (2018). It will be followed by: Tuesday 16 November, “Pranzo di Ferragosto” by Gianni Di Gregorio (2008) on Tuesday 16 November; “La mortadella”, directed by Mario Monicelli (1971) on Wednesday 17 November; “Focaccia Blues” by Nico Cirasola (2008) on Thursday 18 November; “Quanto Basta”, directed by Francesco Falaschi (2028) on Friday 19 November.
Food and Cinema have always been essential companions in man’s life: food is a physiological need, while Cinema satisfies the human need to escape, even if briefly, from reality. Both Cinema and food are cornerstones of social communication and relational development.
On the screen, as in the kitchen, evolution is always born of experimentation. Here are some terms that we find in both areas: ‘pizza’ is the slang name for a film; the expression ‘cooking a film’ or ‘feeding it to the audience’ is commonly used; often, a film creation can be described as ‘heavy’, ‘indigestible’ or ‘syrupy’.
The link between Cinema and food originated in 1895 in one of the first works of Lumière brothers entitled “Le répas de Bebè”, where a child was filmed being fed by his parents. Food thus immediately became the protagonist of the screen from the first films to the present day.
The screening of each film (6 pm) at the Rabat festival will be preceded by a critical presentation. The films will remain available on a geo-blocked platform for the project’s duration.
