Frame Academy - Monday, November 2, 2009 12:04

Food on film is hot stuff. Apparently.

Last week, I had an email from Stefan Archetti, who I shared a villa with in Cannes a couple of years ago (well, it was more like a basement, actually, but let’s not split hairs).

Stefan’s documentary A Tale of Two Hippies was a brilliant study of ageing hippies living the alternate lifestyle out in Ibiza, and his feature film Il Fungo Sirena got all kinds of rave reviews in Italy.

He’s now putting the finishing touches to his latest documentary, which is about the “oldest cheese in the history of cheeses.”

From what I’ve seen of Stefan’s work, I have no doubt that this will be an unconventional and entertaining doc, though perhaps the subject matter would suggest otherwise.  But what did surprise me was the revelation that food films are really ‘in’ right now, as Stefan was told at the Matter of Taste festival in-where else-France, where his short ‘The Cake’ was screened.

This, at least, should give hope to low-budget filmmakers the world over.  I have no doubt that Chocolate Digestives are easier to work with than children and animals, and don’t concern themselves too much with royalties. Just don’t get them too close to the lights…