Friday-Sunday, February 21-23, 12:00, 3, 5pm
Bellas Artes, Hernandez Macias 75
1 film $300, 1 talk $50, all $1600

Food in Film Festival

Films noon and 5pm
Talks 3pm

In 2016, Daniel Nates, a 23-year-old from Puebla, found himself in Milan, Italy, as a finalist in the San Pellegrino Young Chef competition, one of twenty contestants. Before a demanding jury, Nates cooked a Latin American dish called quiltamal, dubbed "a tribute to the cornfield" – a green tamale with bean powder, avocado leaf, chili emulsion, burnt zucchini, and Creole squash. A reporter for Zócalo, a Mexican newspaper, wrote a story with this headline: "The Mexican Daniel Nates could be the best young chef in the world."

The jury in Milan seemed to agree. Nates won the competition. And last year, Food & Wine en Español voted him Best New Chef 2019.

Nates will be on hand at Bellas Artes on Friday, February 21, to present in person the world premiere of Cooking Nature, a documentary about his culinary methods, the opening event of the 2020 Food in Film Festival. The movie will be presented at noon as the first of six films in this year's festival, which will also include three lectures.

The festival will run for three days, between February 21 and 23, and all nine events will take place in the Miguel Malo auditorium on the second floor of Bellas Artes, Hernandez Macias 75. The other five movies are:

A Walk in the Clouds (1995), a romance directed by Alfonso Arau (who also directed Like Water for Chocolate), set in the vineyards of Northern California right after World War II, starring Keanu Reeves. Friday, February 21, 5pm.
James Beard: America's First Foodie (2017), documentary. Saturday, February 22, noon.
Haute Cuisine (2012), biographical feature film based on a true story, about the comic adventures of the private chef to the President of France. In French with English subtitles. Saturday, February 22, 5 pm.
Modified (2017), an award-winning documentary about a quest to find out why genetically modified organisms are not labeled on food products in the U.S. and Canada. Sunday, February 23, noon.
The Cakemaker (2017), a romantic drama about a German baker in Jerusalem, described as "a movie about love, loss, and pastry," with a 98 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In German with English subtitles. Sunday, February 23, 5 pm.

The three lectures, one each day at 3pm, are Naked Wines in San Miguel, presented by Natalia López Mota, Cava El Garambullo (Friday); Pollenizing the Future, about beekeeping techniques, with Ireti Arias, AGL Lune de Miel (Saturday); and Cocina Libre - Open Fire Cooking, with chef Esmeralda Brinn, Querencia (Sunday).

Reserved-seat tickets for all nine events are on sale at Boleto City, Mercado Sano, Monday through Saturday, 11am to 5pm, and online at boletocity.com; or by clicking either of the "Buy Tickets Online" buttons in this email bulletin. All individual films are 300 pesos, and each lecture is 50 pesos. A three-day pass good for all nine events is 1600 pesos.

The opening event and all film screenings include botanas, food tasting, and beverages, courtesy of some of San Miguel's best restaurants and wineries. Some proceeds of the festival will be donated to Casa Hogar Corazón Valiente, a girls' education initiative.

Tickets