Food meets film at FoodCine.ma festival

SINGAPORE — When we first profiled South-east Asia’s first food film festival FoodCine.ma in February, festival director Felix Ng had been cautiously optimistic about the public’s reception to its curtain-raiser film Noma: My Perfect Storm, which premiered last month.

But it looks like Singaporeans truly love all things food-related as the festival kicked off last night at Objectifs. Five of the eight films for the festival — Barista, Cooking Up A Tribute, Miso Hungry, Tasteology, and The Birth of Sake — are already sold out.

Based on the audience demand, Ng said it looks like “Singaporeans are becoming more and more interested to learn about what goes into making the food that we love”. The most popular shows are The Birth of Sake, Tasteology and Miso Hungry. The three document the craft behind making sake, one man’s journey to eat only traditional Japanese food, and the art and science that goes into creating a great meal.

For those who didn’t manage to obtain tickets, FoodCine.ma, which is organised by homegrown creative studio Anonymous, has launched a Rush Tickets System where you can show up 30 minutes before show time at Objectifs and get tickets from the empty seats of no-shows.

Even without tickets, you can partake in the festivities at Objectifs. Pop by for the two exhibitions, A Dozen Eggs (focusing on the humble ingredient) and Eating Together (how design plays a role in the way we consume a meal), running until May 8, and from May 11 to May 21, respectively.

Coffee house Papa Palheta and ice cream joint Creamier have set up booths on-site to dish out affogatos, coffee and ice cream on all screening days (from 12.30pm to 9pm on Saturdays and Sundays; and 7pm to 10pm on Fridays).

Meanwhile, Objectifs’ neighbour at Sculpture Square, Artichoke restaurant, has also reimagined the movie snack to come up with the ultimate FoodCine.ma X Artichoke snack pack, consisting orange blossom caramel popcorn, sugar gems, baharat spiced peanuts, candied walnuts topped with spicy chicken skin, available at S$12 from the restaurant.

We guess digging into that should make up for the fact you’ve missed out on the movies. There’s always next year to look forward to.

For more info on FoodCine.ma, visit http://www.foodcine.ma.