IFI Feast Your Eyes presents Mid-August Lunch

Food and film share a similar space at the table so to speak.  A meal is as much an artistic social construct as a film and, as author and broadcaster Margaret Visser writes in her book, Much Depends on Dinner, ‘however humble it may be, a meal has a definite plot, the intention of which is to intrigue, stimulate and satisfy.’  

As such, food and drink often act as invaluable devices for filmmakers, who can use these either to indicate their characters’ social or ethnic backgrounds or to create a dramatic platform around which stories can unfold.  In some cases, as in Abdel Kechiche’s  Couscous (2007), a film about a family of Arab immigrants in the French port of Sète who open their own restaurant, or in Ken Loach’s recent comedy caper, The Angel’s Share (2012), which exposes the artistry as much as the pomposity behind the whiskey business, the preparation or consumption of a dish or liqueur is elevated to a more a schematic role in the plot. These are the kinds of films which will form the basis of Feast Your Eyes, the IFI’s new monthly event which presents its inaugural edition on Tuesday, August 21^st at 18.50 with a screening of Gianni Di Gregorio’s tender yet poignant Mid-August Lunch (2008). 

Mid-August Lunch

Brought about to explore the role food and drink can play as much in life as in film, the screenings will be paired with a special menu at the IFICafé Bar which will tie in with the price of the cinema ticket. Speakers both from cinema and culinary backgrounds will also be invited to open up discussions about what our eating and drinking habits have to say about identity and taste and how these notions are presented, or distorted in film. 

On Tuesday, journalist and food blogger Veruska Anconitano will introduce the screening and then take part in a discussion afterwards with Corinna Salvadori Lonergan, Associate Professor at the Italian Deparment, Trinity College Dublin.  Audiences will then choose from a menu inspired by the film: Parmesan Chicken served with Asparagus in Olive Oil, Seafood Risotto or Tagliatelle with Roasted Vegetables.  

Alice Butler

IFI Cinemas Assistant Programmer

IFI Feast Your Eyes presents Mid-August Lunch on Tuesday, August 21st at 18.50. Tickets are €20. This event is not available to book online, please book your seat when visiting, by emailing the IFI Box Office at boxoffice@irishfilm.ie or by calling 01 679 3477.