The 2nd annual Food Lovers Film Festival works up an appetite for great films

by Chris MaGee

The Japanese have a love affair with food. Take a trip to any big city (or even small town) to discover a whole menu of local delicacies, then turn on the TV and you'll be treated to dozens of cooking shows enticing you with even more culinary delights. It makes sense that food has played a major factor in a whole slew of films, from Juzo Itami's "Tampopo" to Mai Tominaga's "Rinco's Restaurant", but one thing we haven't seen are screening events focusing on this genre of food films. That is, until now.

Our blogger-in-arms Cathy Munroe Hotes over at Nishikata Film Review reported on an event that both film and food lovers in Tokyo will not want to miss. The 2nd annual Food Lovers Film Festival is set to take place from October 8th to October 23rd at the okyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in Ebisu. The fest will bring together 17 films that feature food as a central theme. These include seven films from Japan -- Yasujiro Ozu's "An Autumn Afternoon", Naoko Ogigami's "Seagull Diner" and "Toilet", Satoshi Miki's "Adrift in Tokyo", Hirokazu Koreeda's "Still Walking", Shuichi Okita's "The Chef of the South Pole" and Yuri Nomura's food documentary "eattrip" (above, and trailer below) starring Tadanobu Asano.

To work up an appetite for great films (I just couldn't resist!) head over to the official website for the 2nd annual Food Lovers Film Festival here and start planning your trip to the theatre... and then to a really good restaurant afterwards!