Culinary Cinema @Berlinale with Thomas Struck

“Dig Your Food – From Field to Fork” was the motto of the 7th Culinary Cinema of the Berlinale that was held from February 10 to 15, 2013. Sixteen films about food and the environment were presented in the Martin-Gropius-Bau. Thomas Struck is the head of this section and we had a chance to ask him a few questions. Here are his answers.

Herr Struck, what is the culinary cinema?

Eating, drinking, watching a movie and talking are great pleasures. Unfortunately people are doing it at the same time while they are in a movie theatre. So we – at the Berlinale – have separated these activities, first we watch a movie then the audience moves over to an adjacent restaurant for food, wine and talking. The menu is prepared by a chef who has seen the film before. Therefore the food is inspired by the themes of the movie. A talk for dessert wraps the show.

How did you come to the idea of including the culinary cinema in the Berlinale?

Taste is a universal idea in all kind of cultural activities. We started to explore the ideas of taste, wound it back to the origins of eating and the preparation of food. Out of this point of view we started exploring the production and celebration of all kind of cultural activities like movies. We are showing movies which whet your appetite and serve dinner afterwards; we also show movies which spoil your appetite and talk about it afterwards.

How successful is this section of the Berlinale?

1000 tickets are sold within hours.

What is your target? Cinema fans or rather food fans?

People with interest in both fields.

Do you have any collaborations going on with other food-oriented organizations?

Slow Food and other environmental movements and also the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the Transatlantyk Film and Music Fetival in Poznan, Poland.

Did you get to see any movies during the Berlinale?

Just a few.

What are your favorite food movies?

My favorite food movies are TAMPOPO; EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN; FOOD, INC.