Celebrating food and wine with movies and events
St. Helena, Napa Valley, February 2023 — The Cameo Cinema announces Fork2Film, a series of movies and events celebrating the worlds of food, wine and farming from March 8 through March 11.
Eleven movies will be screened over the course of the four days; two films will be shown twice and be complemented with panels and speakers; the screening of The Whole Animal will have an after party with delightful food and wines.
“Since before Covid I’ve had this idea to program a four-five day series that showcases food and wine…..something that Napa Valley is known for,” explains Cathy Buck, Proprietor and Program director, The Cameo Cinema. “Over the years the CINEMABITES and our FILM AND FORK events have been a success and this was the inspiration for Fork2Film, four days of films about food, wine and farming. It is my vision to make this an annual series each March and invite independent filmmakers to showcase their movies and visit the Napa Valley. I believe that movies are one of the most powerful ways to share stories, experiences and information that inspire and enrich our lives,” she adds.
Fork2Film was made possible by grants from the City of St. Helena, The Cameo Cinema Foundation and The Cameo Cinema. Ticket sales will support The Cameo’s diverse programming which range beyond movies to events and themed presentations.
Fork2Film kicks off on March 8 at 2:00 p.m. with The Kitchen Brigade (96 minutes, PG 13, comedy, French). A middle age sous chef is about to fulfill her lifelong dream of opening her own restaurant. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCV5tZVKppM
At 5:00 pm on March 8 will be the screening of The Amphora Project (50 minutes, PG, Documentary, English). Amphorae (clay vessels) have played a key role in winemaking and storage for more than 8,000 years. Wines made in these vessels have influenced cultures and religions since the beginning. Today, a movement is taking place in San Luis Obispo County, where winemakers are experimenting with winemaking in amphorae. Explore the past, the present, and the future in this documentary hosted by Karen MacNeil, renowned wine educator and author of The Wine Bible. There will be a Q&A following the film with Karen MacNeil. Joining her onstage will be Producer Libbie Agran from The Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County, and Tim Clott and Noel Resnick of Partners2Media. Noel was the Executive Producer and Tim was the Director as well as the Editor and Director of Photography for the film. This screening will also feature a bonus presentation of the film DUMB from Partners2Media. The name refers to the awkward period a bottle of wine can go through as it ages. In its first festival screening this film won Best Documentary Short at the Doc Screenings International Documentary Film Festival in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.
Buy tickets: https://ticketing.uswest.veezi.com/purchase/3283?siteToken=ngdcybs2pe7aqsn3zewdgzctjm
More: https://www.cameocinema.com/the-amphora-project-past-forward
This film will also be shown on March 10 at 2:00 pm, with Libbie Agran, Tim Clott and Noel Resnick.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQEauKWtNpY
Next up on March 8 at 7:30 pm is Her Name is Chef (98 minutes, PG 13, documentary, English). This is a documentary spotlighting six inspiring “sheroes” of the kitchen and the screening will include a Q&A with Chef Sarah Heller, a well-known Napa Valley chef-who’s worked for Thomas Keller, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen and Meadowood. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1F1M_HsLAg
Fork2Film continues on March 9 at 2:00 pm with The Pez Outlaw (85 minutes, PG 13, documentary, English). The film shares the adventures of a man from Michigan who goes to eastern Europe in search of the most desired Pez dispensers. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXgUZmDSOyU
Next up on March 9 at 5:00 pm is Love, Charlie: The Rise & Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter (96 minutes, PG 13, documentary, English), a profile of Charlie Trotter, who revolutionized American cuisine. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9dYyg5VcvA
The last film to be shown on March 9 at 7:30 pm is Some Like It Rare (87 minutes, R, Dramady, French). Butchers Sophie and Vincent accidentally kill a vegan activist and possibly save their business. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tU637RjFxQ
The series continues on March 10 at 2:00 pm with another screening of The Amphora Project.
At 5:00 pm the film The Whole Animal will be shown (71 minutes, PG-13, Documentary, English). In the world of food, there is no greater disconnect between the plate and the source than with meat. Many of the beautiful and sought-after dishes that now grace the tables of Michelin-starred restaurants and appear in food shows all have one thing in common: these dishes were conceived and perfected in small villages by unique cultures for very specific reasons. There is a growing movement to bring awareness and respect to the ancient profession of butchery. This documentary from the award-winning team that made SOMM and The Delicacy takes the viewer to five countries through the pages of a mysterious cookbook to experience how using the whole animal and wasting nothing can teach us as much about our food as it can about the culture that made it. The screening includes a Q&A with the director, Jason Wise, followed by an after party/al fresco dinner at The Saint (across the street from The Cameo Cinema). Wines will be supplied by Schramsberg and Pride Mountain Vineyards and hors d’oeuvres by Oak Avenue Catering. There is a very limited number of tickets, which are $110 each and must be purchased in advance at https://ticketing.uswest.veezi.com/purchase/3286?siteToken=ngdcybs2pe7aqsn3zewdgzctjm
More: https://www.cameocinema.com/the-whole-animal-after-party. The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwIAKbzeTyI
The last movie to be shown on March 10 at 7:30 pm will be To Which We Belong (90 minutes, PG 13, documentary, English), stories from nine farms and ranches who embrace regenerative farming practices. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXykyT860oA
On March 11, the final day of the series, the first movie to be screened will be Children of The Vine (92 minutes, PG 13, documentary, English), an investigation into the herbicide Round-Up. Director Brian Lilla will host a Q&A after the film concludes. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT7sGABHGgM
On March 11 at 5:00 pm the movie Food And Romance will be shown (110 minutes, PG 13, romance, Swedish). A middle-aged woman re-evaluates her life and the role of food and passion. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4AUojrSZlk
The final film of the Fork2Film series will screen at 7:30 pm on March 11. The Menu (107 minutes, thriller/drama, English) tells the story of a couple who travel to eat at an exclusive restaurant where chef Ralph Fiennes has prepared a lavish and shocking menu. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAWZMssP3gM
CINEMABITES
The Cameo continues its CINEMABITES series this spring with the screening of two short documentary films at 5:30 pm on March 7. The first film is The Best Chef in the World (120 minutes). The French Laundry, run by legendary chef Thomas Keller, has often been recognized as the best restaurant in the world, but few know the story of its founder Sally Schmitt. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr3KyVZaApc
The second film is Biggest Little Farm: The Return (29 minutes), which tells the story of John and Molly Chester, who abandon their urban life in Los Angeles to live on a barren farm to grow delicious food in harmony with nature in Ventura County. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCOVyYo6VA
There will be a Q&A after the film with Sally’s daughter Karen Schmitt Bates and her husband Tim Bates. Culinary treats will be offered by Stephen Barber, Executive Chef at Farmstead. Wine and beer will be available for purchase at the concession stand. CINEMABITES supports St. Helena Farmers’ Market. Tickets $35/person and must be purchased in advance, at https://ticketing.uswest.veezi.com/purchase/3282?siteToken=ngdcybs2pe7aqsn3zewdgzctjm
The Cameo Cinema is located at 1340 Main Street in St. Helena. It’s recommended that tickets be purchased in advance online at the links for each movie or event.
The Cameo Cinema is a single-screen movie theater committed to fostering an appreciation for cinema’s cultural heritage and producing exemplary theatrical experiences. Founded on May 15, 1913, the theater changed hands several times over the next few decades and its name changed with every sale. Cathy Buck assumed the lease in 2008 and subsequently installed digital sound and laser projection equipment equal to the best cinema houses in the nation. She has infused this classic ‘movie palace’ with Napa Valley’s legendary style and hospitality, fostering a vibrant sense of community through the film-going experience. More: http://www.cameocinema.com
The Cameo Cinema Foundation is an organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of one of the oldest continuously running single screen theaters in America, which opened its doors in 1913. The purpose of this organization is to support the Cameo Cinema as a community asset, operating as a nonprofit single screen, state of the art community film center which enhances the artistic, educational, cultural and social life of Saint Helena and the Napa Valley. More: https://www.cameocinemafoundation.org
