Posted by Greg Clow in contests, events, events upcoming, films, news and media on October 22, 2007 at 7:49 am
In the summer of 2006, chef Michael Stadtländer along with his wife Nobuyo, son Hermann, and several apprentices from his renowned restaurant Eigensinn Farm hopped into a renovated and biodiesel-powered school bus cum kitchen-on-wheels called "The Liberator" and drove across Canada. They were headed to several islands off the coast of British Columbia for a series of remarkable culinary events, and their many adventures were filmed, with the result being The Islands Project, a documentary that is charming, eccentric, and completely entertaining - much like Stadtländer himself.
After a short introduction at Eigensinn, the road trip starts in the opening moments of the film. Aside from one dinner stop in Alberta, the cross-country trip is compressed into just a few minutes so that we can quickly get to the action on the islands. Over the course of several weeks, Stadtländer and his crew source the freshest food imaginable from farms, fishermen, markets and co-ops, and serve a series of spectacular tasting menu meals in such picturesque locations as the dock of an oyster farm, remote wooded areas, and in the grand finale, on the beach of an otherwise uninhabited island.
Through it all, Stadtländer seems to be having the time of his life, and his quirky sense of humour is evident throughout the film. Riding shotgun in "The Liberator" and appearing in various unlikely situations is a discarded baby doll that he rescues from the dump and dubs Captain Organic. (At some point, the Captain gains a twin, although how this happened is not explained.) He also carts along the front section of an old cabinet-style television which he sets up for episodes of an imaginary TV show where he interviews friends along the way, including guest chefs Vikram Vij and Hidekazo Tojo.
Despite all the joking around, it's obvious that chef Stadtländer takes his food seriously, from the impeccable ingredients to the ornate presentation. Shells, driftwood and other found objects often serve as plates and bowls for the numerous tasting courses; the footage of the preparation and service of the dinners is food porn of the highest order; and the outdoor dining room created from driftwood, stones and other beach detritus for the final dinner has to be seen to be believed. Stadtländer is without a doubt one of the top chefs in the world today, and if you're not hungry when you start watching this film, you definitely will be 100 minutes later when it ends.
The world premiere screening of The Islands Project takes place this Thursday, October 25the at the Royal Cinema (608 College Street) at 7:00 PM as part of the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival. Advance tickets are available via the Festival website, or you can enter for a chance to win one of five pairs of tickets good for admission to any Planet in Focus screening by sending an email to pif@tasteto.com with your name and the title of one of the many food-related films showing at the Festival this year. Deadline for entries is 12:00 noon on Tuesday, October 23rd, and the five winners will be notified on Tuesday afternoon. The winners’ names will be at the box office of both festival venues (The Royal Cinema and Innis College) and will allow the winner and a guest entry to any festival screening of their choice. Good luck!
