Greer's OC

The 19th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival taking place on April 26 - May 3 will debut a Culinary Film Series, a new documentary film program that celebrates emerging and prominent gourmet chefs, the art of gastronomy, international food culture, and the craft of winemaking and distilling.

From the Burgundy Hills of France to the Michelin star restaurants of San Sebastian to the ramen shops of Tokyo, the program spotlights eight films that explore a mouthwatering array of flavorful regional and local cuisines of the culinary world. Filled with cinematic artistry, the films go behind the scenes into bustling kitchens of renown restaurants, to remote rural villages, into potager gardens and vineyards of today’s chefs, vintners and distillers.

The films explore the history of culinary traditions and capture the fascinating personal stories of these passionate innovators and reveal the challenges, triumphs and the vital ingredients essential to achieving success in the culinary industry.

The Culinary Film Series features the World Premiere of Three Days of Glory (directed by David Baker and Scott Wright) on Sunday, April 29  3:30 p.m. - 4:42 p.m. Edwards Big Newport 6 & RPX- SCREEN 4, and on Wednesday, May 2 at 12:30 p.m. - 1:42 p.m. The Lot- SCREEN 4,  a documentary about Les Trois Glorieuses, the colorful wine celebration that took place in Burgundy during the brutal 2016 season. The lineup includes the West Coast Premiere of Cuban Food Stories (directed by Asori Soto) on Sunday, April 29, Time: 3 p.m. to 4:23 p.m. at Triangle Cinemas, a documentary about Soto’s journey to discover the hidden flavors of Cuba from his childhood.

Screening as part of the Pacific Rim Showcase, ULAM: Main Dish (directed by Alexandra Cuerdo) chronicles the emerging Filipino culinary movement in the United States. Other films in the series include Constructing Albert (directed by Laura Collado and Jim Loomis) on Friday, April 27 at 5:30 p.m. - 6:51 p.m. at The Lot- SCREEN 3; Michelin Stars: Tales from the Kitchen (directed by Rasmus Dinesen), Grand Cru (directed by David Eng) on Monday, April 30 at 3 p.m. to 4:19 p.m.Triangle Cinemas- SCREEN 5; Ramen Heads (directed by Koki Shigeno) on Monday, April 30 at 5:15 p.m. - 6:48 p.m. Triangle Cinemas- SCREEN 5; and Scotch – A Golden Dream (directed by Andrew Peat) on Saturday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m. - 3:58 p.m. at Triangle Cinemas- SCREEN 7.

With over 60 Orange County restaurants, local culinary schools, presenting sponsor Pacific Sales (a leader in kitchen and home products) and Dine Newport Beach participating in the Festival, along with the popularity of food-centric films at past editions (Chef, 42 Grams, American Wine Story, La Tradition), the newly curated Culinary Film Series expands the Festival’s menu of food themed offerings and gives fest goers an opportunity to enjoy the latest in culinary cinema on the big screen, along with tastings created by local chefs and vintners for an all-encompassing culinary experience.

Films in the Culinary Film Series will screen at Edwards Big Newport at 300 Newport Center Drive in  Newport Beach, The LOT in Fashion Island is at 999 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach; and The Triangle at 1870 Harbor Blvd., in Costa Mesa; and Regency Lido Theater is at 3459 Via Lido Drive in Newport Beach.