Bob Noto, the world’s finest palate
14th September 2024
h. 21:00
Italian Contest – Feature Film
Brief Synopsis:
What does it truly mean for a person to be a ‘gourmet’? For Italians, the term ‘gourmet’ encompasses everything from a great connoisseur of the culinary arts, to science, to a passion for good food. But how can one define a gourmet? One of the most profound and meaningful answers emerges in Turin, in the chaotic workshop of a photographer and graphic designer with an extraordinary palate: Bob Noto. His journey, which started in a hardware shop, leads into the most extraordinary culinary experiences filled with travel, fancy restaurants, laughter, jokes, and extravagant adventures. The biography of Bob Noto, who passed away in 2017, is not just the story of an extraordinary man, but a tale about the power of perspective and point of view. The dishes photographed by Bob, filtered through his artistic sensibility, reflect their creators, the greatest chefs of the Italian and international culinary scene. From Ferran Adrià, who tells of the special friendship he shared with Bob, to Scabin, Baronetto, Bottura, Cracco, Crippa and many other faces of Italian cuisine. The most important chefs from Europe and around the world have come together to tell how Bob has influenced the way we look at and taste food. It is a pilgrimage in search of the best dish and the best opportunity to eternalise it with a ‘click’. A journey to discover the deeper meaning of the word ‘gourmet’.
Director’s Notes:
The project encompasses various languages and narrative tools inherent to the documentary genre. On one hand, “Bob Noto” is a creation document with the spirit of an auteur film, aiming to build a character study that explores both the intimate and human dimensions along with the professional and universal ones. In this sense, the film can be compared to the multi-award-winning “Road Runner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” from 2021, which follows the life, career, and passing of the famous and highly popular chef. On the other hand, the film features a structure reminiscent of the modern high-level television serial format, with a reference like the acclaimed Netflix series ‘Chef’s Table’.