By Kyle Wells
Monday Magazine contributor
We all know Victorians enjoy their booze, a fact being catered to at this year’s Feast: Food & Film festival, on offer from the Victoria Film Festival from June 13-15.
The growing event pairs drink and food-focused documentary films with pre-movie tastings and experiences for a full-course experience.
“It’s all my favourite things: movies, food and drink; what else is there in life?” said festival director Kathy Kay. “It’s just makes for a little different experience going to the movies.”
Gin: The Movie is likely to be a big hit in Victoria, which has gone gin-crazy since the opening of a number of world-class distilleries in the region, most of which will be offering tastes of local libations before the show. The documentary itself heads overseas to the motherland of gin: the UK, where it features gin enthusiasts as they sing the praises and spill the secrets of the herbaceous tipple.
If beer is more your poison, the feature-length documentary Brewmaster might hit the spot. The movie follows the stories of two men in the United States who decide to take the plunge and enter the business of beer. For this flick, local brewers will be on hand offering samples.
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The tea toddlers among us need not fear, for there are offerings that don’t revolve around alcohol. Himalayan Gold Rush, for instance, playing on the Saturday night, takes a look at the mania surrounding the annual search for a half-plant, half-insect local fungal delicacy said to have magical properties. This screening takes place at The Mint (a festival first) and will be served up with Tibetan momos prepared by Mint owner Rajen Shakya.
Other features on the menu include Chef’s Diaries: Scotland, exploring that country’s long-overlooked cuisine, Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy, a portrait of the ‘Mick Jagger of Mexican cooking,’ and Back to Burgundy, a personal journey through the legendary French wine region. All features are paired with a tasty treat before the film.
“I love going to the movies, and I think it is special,” said Kay, “but I think these days adding a little something else in makes it a really unique event and worth getting out from behind the TV for.”
Most screenings will be at The Vic Theatre. More information and tickets can be found at feastfoodfilm.ca.
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