Chef's Diaires: Scotland

The plot

CANADA PREMIERE

Laura Otálora  Spain  2019  1:15:05 

Joan, Josep and Jordi are the renowned Roca brothers, heirs of a family tradition that led them to create one of the world’s best restaurants: El Celler de Can Roca. Their restless spirit and hunger for new knowledge has propelled them to travel the world in search of new products and cuisines. In this project the brothers set out to discover a country whose cuisine is little known in the world – a raw diamond that will surprise them and bring them new challenges. The best candidate to do that is... SCOTLAND 

The Rocas will take us on an initiation trip to discover the country and find out about its products, landscapes and people. It is a quest to learn based on patience, respect and observation. We will meet traditional producers like Ian Spink, who uses traditional Viking cooking methods; food-wise people like Hamish Martin who teaches us the magic and mystery of wild herbs; big distilleries like The Macallan that hold the secrets of the best whiskies, and chefs like Ben Reade who embody the ambition and talent of the new Scottish cuisine.  

On their travels the Rocas will find a gastronomically virgin land, with outstanding products and mythical landscapes. The big surprise is that the country is truly a gastronomic force waiting to be discovered, with a range of products that can match the world's best. The demanding Roca brothers are taking on a big responsibility: returning to tradition and shining a new light on it, appreciating local products, and persuading the Scottish themselves of the hidden treasures in their land. 

It is a huge, complex and thrilling challenge. With their usual humility, humour and life philosophy of taking due time with things that are worth it, the brothers will create a menu that embodies the flavours of Scotland and pays tribute to it. They'll also tell us the unexpected connection between the country's culinary history and their own family history... Above all, they'll show the world SCOTLAND's talent and culinary excellence.

Director Vision

Since studying anthropology, I have always been fascinated in investigating and discovering other cultures and territories. As a Colombian immigrant in Barcelona I started to look at food as a very powerful vehicle for expressing cultural identity that brings us together and allows us to decode the stories and the emotional tales behind every dish. From there I began exploring food anthropology for the documentary and to work on audiovisual projects related to this field of research. Chef’s Diaries: Scotland has given me the chance to discover a land with an extremely rich culture and cuisine, and it was a privilege to do so through their expert and inquisitive eyes of the Roca brothers to learn the secrets and stories in such a magical land as Scotland.

Director Biofilmography

LAURA OTÁLORA is a visual anthropologist and documentary maker. From a very early age she wanted to combine social and cultural studies with the visual arts so she decided to study Anthropology with an emphasis on History and Theory of Art at the University of the Andes in Bogota. She also took a higher course in Photography, which allowed her to explore visual anthropology from the start of her studies.

After graduating she went to Spain to take a Master's in Visual Anthropology at the University of Barcelona, where she co-directed a 30-minute documentary called Dosti Cricket. Otálora then decided to extend her audiovisual knowledge by taking a Master's in Documentary Cinema at the Barcelona Film School (ECIB), where her Gospel Beyond Music project was selected to be produced during the course under her direction.

She has since been involved in other aspects of documentary making, including methodological research, script, production, DOP and post-production. Otálora coordinated the production company CAD Productions for three years, where she developed numerous projects for international organizations such as the UN and the World Bank on issues such as climate change, sustainable development and food security in various countries in Africa and America. As part of that work she directed the interactive documentary Kijanal on the food sovereignty of the indigenous peoples of Chiapas and Yucatan in Mexico. She also worked on the documentary series REDD+ in Africa for the World Bank about mitigating climate change in countries like Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia and Mozambique.

With Chef’s Diaries: Scotland, Otálora, as Director and Scriptwriter, had the chance to explore the culture, landscape, people and gastronomy of Scotland hand in hand with the Roca brothers, from the acclaimed El Celler de Can Roca restaurant.

Specifications

• Production Year: 2019
• Production Type: Documentary
• Production Country: UK
• Language: English, Spanish, Catalan
• Runtime: 75:05
• Screening Format: DCP
• Aspect Ratio: 1: 1: 85

• Age Rating General (12 and under)
• Running time 01:15:05 mins



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