by Francesco Catarinolo
Italia - Spagna, 2024
In progress
Studio Pandora
What does “Being a gourmet” really mean? For Italians, the word “Gourmet” can be close to the concept of being a foodie: someone with a great deal of knowledge in gastronomy, a lover of good cuisine, just a food lover in general. Lately, “Gourmet” seems to have become somewhat of a trend that involves different landscapes in our society, from our social activities to the most popular tv shows and formats. In a way, we all consider ourselves to be “gourmet”, even if we don’t really know what that means. We defend our culinary choices because they so often align with what fuels our passion, what we believe in. “Gourmet” can be a dish, a place, a restaurant, or a high-quality product. How can a person be defined as gourmet? There are many answers to this question.
One of the deepest and most important, but less known, starts from Turin: not from the kitchen of a 3-Michelin-starred chef, but from the chaotic workshop of a photographer and graphic designer who has an extraordinary palate: Bob Noto, renowned Italian photographer and gastronome, has revolutionized forever the world of cuisine. His road toward the greatest culinary experiences is filled with travels, great restaurants, laughter, jokes, weird adventures and surreal endeavors. His life has influenced the way we look at (and we take pictures of) food; it’s a pilgrimage in search of the best dish, and the best chance to make it last forever with a ‘clic’. A journey in search of the deepest meaning of the word “gourmet”.
I am a great fan of top gastronomy. The first time I heard about Bob Noto was from the journalist and food critic Luca Jaccariano of "La Repubblica". I was immediately fascinated by the extraordinary character of Bob Noto, with his anarchic mix of photographer and designer, an incredible palate, that changes forever the world of Italian cuisine. Noto was a restaurants globetrotter, food fashion creator and a styles precursor with an incredible skill for scouting talents. He gained personal experience in the European food gastronomy field over the last thirty years that is still unmatched.
Noto adopted and created a new type of food photography: the first person that takes a shoot of the dish just the moment they arrived at the table before they were eaten, without long and forced studio set-up. Today, twenty years later, with the smartphones phenomenon this is a common feature, but Noto was a forerunner that acknowledges haute cuisine for his high artistic and cultural values. In Italy, in 1995 Noto was the first to write a piece dedicated to the chef Ferran Adrià on the magazine Panorama. Bob passed away in 2017, fellow and confidant of the biggest Italian and international starred chefs: Adrià, Cracco, Bottura, Cedroni and Scabin. Unfortunately, the masses don't recognise Noto for his incredible feats and merits despite the popularity of most of his works, chefs and cuisine.
Director
Story
Screenplay
Luca Iaccarino, Davide Mela, Francesco Catarinolo
Director of photography
Film Editor
Ylenia Busolli
Original Music
Steve Marchesan
Sound
Assistant Director
Sveva Bersezio
Altri credits
Carlo Misischi, Roberto Caravana, Andrea Monnet (Animazioni); Andrea Monet (Charachter Designer, Storyboard Artist); Davide Pasian (Focus Puller); Camillo Beltrametti (Capo-Elettricista).
Cast and characters
Matteo Baronetto, Davide Scabin, Federico Zanasi, Ferran Adrià, Carlo Cracco, Massimo Bottura, Fratelli Alaimo, Paolo Lo Priore, Enrico Crippa, Antonella Fassio, Fulvio Malfatto, Luigina Tozzato.
Production Director
Executive production
Producer
Production
con il sostegno di Film Commission Torino Piemonte - Piemonte Doc Film Fund - sviluppo dicembre 2021, produzione dicembre 2022
Last update: 30 June 2023