EXCLUSIVE – The fourth edition of Slow Food on Film, the international festival dedicated to food and cinema organized by Slow Food and the Cineteca di Bologna, was a huge success.
More than 13,000 visitors attended over the five days of the festival, held for the first time in Bologna.
200 children participated in the education workshops, whilst over 500 people gathered each evening at Mambo, the Modern Art Museum of Bologna, for the special ‘Un film nel piatto’ dinners.
Slow Food on Film also provided an opportunity for visitors to do their shopping carbon-footprint free, thanks to the Farmers’ Market set up on Friday and Saturday in the city center.
Italians, however, are not the only ones interested in the connection between the big screen and gastronomy. Among the public, there was a significant European presence (France, Norway, England, The Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Greece).
There was also a big turn-out from the Americas, from Canadians to Brazilans, from North Americans to Urugayans, and in addition visitors from South Korea, Japan, China, Turkey, Israel, Uganda, Russia, Croatia and New Zealand.
‘The fourth edition of Slow Food on Film,’ said Roberto Burdese, President of Slow Food Italy, ‘has confirmed that we were right to choose Bologna to host the event and the Cineteca di Bologna as a partner to assist Slow Food in the organization of the festival. The public success and triumph of the various initiatives is greatly satisfying to see: a round of applause to everyone who has worked so hard for the event over recent months.
‘I would also like to point out two things: First of all, the extraordinary atmosphere of the event, international and slow, and the willingness on the part of everyone (public, directors and producers) to promote the quality of food and related themes on both the television and film.
‘Secondly, I would like to emphasize the extremely high quality of audiovisual material. The films were excellent but the content was especially great, in particular the documentaries.
‘We must the give credit to the artistic direction required for the grand task of selecting the material, but also to the strength of the Slow Food network around the world which has captured the attention of the directors and producers who are here on the stage today. It has been an opportunity to meet and discuss ideas – and we hope – also a commercial outlet for FOOD films and documentaries.’
Victoria Blackshaw
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