Cinema Cuisine has kicked off its ninth edition at the Festival de Málaga in the best possible way: with a hall full of attendees. With a session focused on memory, landscape and culinary identity, the Echegaray Theatre hosted the screening of Tetsu, Txispa, Hoshi by Jon Arregui, a feature film out of competition that showcases the world of the chef Tetsuro Maeda.
 
During the presentation, which was attended by Álvaro Muñoz, from Lumen Proyectos Gastronómicos, and the producers of the film, Andoni Etxeandia and Patricia Delgado, the attendees enjoyed a 10 Victoria beer and a gilda anchovy tapa in honour of the Basque origin of the feature film, together with Ardales crisps.
 
The documentary, premiered at the last Festival de San Sebastián, follows Maeda in his daily routine from the moment he leaves his home and crosses the forests of the Atxondo valley until he reaches his restaurant, Txispa. Through this journey, the film reconstructs his life story, from his childhood in Tokyo to his obtaining a Michelin star, showing how cuisine becomes a space where memory, territory and creativity converge. Set against the backdrop of Mount Anboto, the film explores how the chef transforms the smells, colours and sensations of the surroundings into gastronomic proposals that seek to convey the essence of the place to diners.
 
The screening was followed by a colloquium with the film crew. Andoni Etxeandia explained that Tetsu, Txispa, Hoshi came about by chance. Through another project, they discover that "a Japanese man has bought the upper part of the mountain", a building that had been abandoned for years and which Tetsuro had refurbish in a fortnight to prepare a meal for 40 guests. There was a story to be told and chef Maeda agreed to share his day-to-day life in the kitchen to bring this documentary to life.
 
Meanwhile, Patricia Delgado pointed out that "Tetsu has a soul and he conveys that in his dishes", adding that "the production took longer than expected, but to make something beautiful, you can’t rush it. The documentary conveys calm and philosophy”.
 
During the event, attendees were able to taste a Txakoli wine from Bodega Itsas Mendi and a 'Maguro No Hitokuchi', a bite-sized piece of BITUNA tuna, a natural and wild Japanese tuna.
 
Cinema Cocina will continue this Sunday with the screening of the feature film Todos los días domingo (Every Sunday) by Abraham López Feria, in the official competition.