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The Food Film Festival, that gastro-loving cinephilic wet dream, announced its official selections this week and the array is mighty tasty, with over thirty food-focused films—including 12 world premieres and seven NYC premieres—spread across five days, from October 29 through November 2. Along with screenings, there will be a special Halloween edition of the fan-favorite Food Porn Party, a celebration of mouth-watering food close-ups hosted by food porn star Larry Cauldwell, a sriracha-themed Edible Adventures series and a seafood feast of wild-caught shrimp, crabs and sea urchin, to be paired with a viewing of George Motz's Head On: Shrimping in the Lowcountry.
There's plenty of food-film goodness to go around, but here are ten culinary movies that we're extra excited for:
1. Finding Gaston: This feature-length doc from Patricia Perez (Mistura: The Power of Food) follows Peruvian superchef Gastón Acurio as he travels to London, Stockholm and Madrid to wax poetic about the flavors of his beloved Peru.
2. Balls!: Larry Cauldwell's pulling double duties at the fest—during the Food Porn Party, he will debut his latest film, a two-minute rap about his balls. Seriously.
3. Guacamole: A Gambling Recipe: A good avocado, an ugly tomato and two bad chili peppers star in this under-three-minutes food western, directed by Francesca Nobili.
4. 1 Minute Meal: Slice Discrimination: Directed by James Boo, this sixty-second flick focuses on the heir to a legendary neighborhood pizzeria, struggling to keep the classic New York slice alive.
5. Hog on Hog: In this Robert Cole-directed short, chef Ian Kapitan (Long Island City's Alobar) takes a jaunt around NYC and shows how to make one of his signature dishes, porchetta di Testa.
6. The Oyster Men: This Peter Crosby short delves deep into the rare practice of diving for oysters in the Long Island Sound
7. Sweet, Sexy Ocean: Director Alexander Finden spotlights the sea's sultriest critter, the sea urchin, in this 17-minute flick.
8. Sausage: This six-minute animated number centers on two artisan stallholders dealing with a devious fast-food vendor.
9. Brewmore Baltimore: In its New York premiere, Nicholas Kovacic's feature chronicles the rich history of Baltimore's beer industry.
10. French Fries and Ice Cream: Michelin-starred chef Phillip Foss (Chicago's EL Ideas) transforms French fries and ice cream into a signature dish.