The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution

Dinner(en)

What are one week films? They're an assignment we do our first week back at CalArts, designed to dust off cobwebs by throwing us straight into the deep end. Our class theme was "square," and we had a lot of fun playing around with compositions inspired by East Asian graphic design.

A Tale of Two Kitchens(en)

Two countries, two restaurants, one vision. At Gabriela Cámara's acclaimed Contramar in Mexico City, the welcoming, uniformed waiters are as beloved by diners as the menu featuring fresh, local seafood caught within 24 hours. The entire staff sees themselves as part of an extended family. Meanwhile at Cala in San Francisco, Cámara hires staff from different backgrounds and cultures, including ex-felons and ex-addicts, who view the work as an important opportunity to grow as individuals. A Tale of Two Kitchens explores the ways in which a restaurant can serve as a place of both dignity and community.

Two Spirits(en)

Fred Martinez was a Navajo youth slain at the age of 16 by a man who bragged to his friends that he 'bug-smashed a fag'. But Fred was part of an honored Navajo tradition - the 'nadleeh', or 'two-spirit', who possesses a balance of masculine and feminine traits.

Marcella(en)

Marcella Hazan didn’t just teach Italian cooking—she changed the way America eats. Fearless, passionate, and exacting, she introduced authentic recipes to millions. Julia Child called Marcella “my mentor in all things Italian.” Featuring Jacques Pépin, Danny Meyer, April Bloomfield, and Lidia Bastianich, this intimate portrait reveals the bold woman who forever shaped home kitchens.

How to Cook Your Life(en)

A Zen priest in San Francisco and cookbook author use Zen Buddhism and cooking to relate to everyday life.

The Codes of Gender(en)

Arguing that advertising not only sells things, but also ideas about the world, media scholar Sut Jhally offers a blistering analysis of commercial culture's inability to let go of reactionary gender representations. Jhally's starting point is the breakthrough work of the late sociologist Erving Goffman, whose 1959 book The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life prefigured the growing field of performance studies. Jhally applies Goffman's analysis of the body in print advertising to hundreds of print ads today, uncovering an astonishing pattern of regressive and destructive gender codes. By looking beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that tend to focus on either biology or objectification, The Codes of Gender offers important insights into the social construction of masculinity and femininity, the relationship between gender and power, and the everyday performance of cultural norms.

Saving the Restaurant(en)

During the pandemic-induced lockdowns of 2020, a restaurant owner struggles to maintain his business.

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain(en)

An intimate, behind-the-scenes look at how an anonymous chef became a world-renowned cultural icon. This unflinching look at Anthony Bourdain reverberates with his presence, in his own voice and in the way he indelibly impacted the world around him.

Julia(en)

Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the film traces Julia Child's surprising path, from her struggles to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) which has sold more than 2.5 million copies to date, to her empowering story of a woman who found fame in her 50s, and her calling as an unlikely television sensation.

Man for a Day(en)

Gender activist Diane Torr’s worldwide appearances and workshops are now legendary. For the past thirty years, the main focus of this performance artist’s work has been an exploration of the theoretical, artistic as well as the practical aspects of gender identity. Katarina Peters’ documentary observes a Diane Torr workshop in Berlin in which a group of open-minded women come together to discover the secrets of masculinity. What makes a man a man and a woman a woman? Precisely when and where is gender identity formatted? How much is nature and how much nurture? Each of Torr’s workshops represents an open-ended laboratory experiment in social behaviour in which the question is posed: is it possible to deliberately play out different roles and create a space in which to transgress both masculine and feminine characteristics?

Soul(en)

Soul explores the secrets of gastronomy where two cuisines apparently so opposite in their philosophy, conception and experience, have both earned the highest culinary recognition, three Michelin stars.

Femmenell (City of Mermaids)(it)

A journey between the sacred and profane in which the Femminielli, an ancient non-binary Neapolitan figure, fight for their survival against the globalizing tides of modernity.

Blush: An Extraordinary Voyage(fi)

For 18-year-old Finnish–Kosovan Fatu, a simple visit to the grocery store feels as nerve-racking as a lunar expedition: for the first time in his life, he’s wearing makeup in public. Luckily his best friend Rai, a young woman on the spectrum of autism, is there to ferociously support him through the voyage.

Les Fleurs(en)

A nude woman relaxing on a bed to Minnie Riperton's song Les Fleurs is exited by its chorus. Director Saam Farahmand heats up the body hair debate.

Perfect Image?(en)

Two actresses take us through a series of 'raps' and sketches about what it means to be beautiful and black.

The Perfumed Garden(ar)

THE PERFUMED GARDEN is an exploration of the myths and realities of sensuality and sexuality in Arab society, a world of taboos and of erotic literature. Through interviews with men and women of all ages, classes, and sexual orientation, the film lifts a corner of the veil that usually shrouds discussion of this subject in the Arab world. Made by an Algerian-French woman director, the film begins by looking at the record of a more permissive history, and ends with the experiences of contemporary lovers from mixed backgrounds. It examines the personal issues raised by the desire for pleasure, amidst societal pressures for chastity and virginity. The film discusses pre-marital sex, courtship and marriage, familial pressures, private vs. public spaces, social taboos (and the desire to break them), and issues of language.

Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric(en)

Katie Couric travels across the U.S. to talk with scientists, psychologists, activists, authors and families about the complex issue of gender.

Kings of Pastry(en)

The collar awarded to the winners of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) is more than the ultimate recognition for every pastry chef - it is a dream and an obsession. The 3-day competition includes everything from delicate chocolates to precarious six foot sugar sculptures and requires that the chefs have extraordinary skill, nerves of steel and luck. The film follows Jacquy Pfeiffer, founder of The French Pastry School in Chicago, as he returns to France to compete against 15 of France's leading pastry chefs. The filmmakers were given first time/exclusive access to this high-stakes drama of passion, sacrifice, disappointment and joy in the quest to have President Sarkozy declare them one of the best in France.

Mary Berry's Christmas Party(en)

Celebrate the festive season with the perfect dusting of Mary Berry's very own Christmas magic. In a one-off television treat, Mary opens her kitchen to some of TV's best-loved faces as they join her in cooking delicious party dishes especially for her Christmas party. With varying degrees of nerves, skill and determination, but tons of excitement, Alex Jones, Fearne Cotton, Darcey Bussell and Adil Ray take turns to join Mary beside her stove.

Chef Flynn(en)

Ten-year-old Flynn McGarry transforms his living room into a supper club using his classmates as line cooks. Achieving sudden fame, Flynn outgrows his bedroom kitchen and sets out to challenge the hierarchy of the culinary world.

Six Children and One Grandfather(en)

David McDoll is a selfish and wealthy man living an enviable lifestyle in his large villa and collecting fancy cars. However, his life is about to be changed forever when he inherits his six grandchildren. His glamorous lifestyle quickly becomes complete chaos. But he will learn a valuable lesson that teaches him about placing family first and discovering a newfound appreciation for life.

Florence Fight Club(it)

Four men decided to enter in the oldest Fight Club of the History, The Florentine Football tournament. A father and son, a black guy, an old champion and outsider clerk will enter in an arena of the time to win their fears, to go over their limits, to be heroes for a day.

Girls Fight Club(en)

The best women's wrestling competition of all time...and if you think it's fake you're in for a big surprise See LEGENDARY Mixed Martial Arts fighters coach their teams to victory in the cage! aka Chuck Lidell's Girl's Fight Club

Brooklyn Girls Fight Club(en)

From the birthplace of boxing legend Mike Tyson, young women brawl in secret fight clubs to win $1000 and invaluable street cred.

UFC 21: Return Of The Champions(en)

UFC 21: Return of the Champions was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 16, 1999 at the Five Seasons Events Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video.

Return(en)

A young woman was buried alive with the intention of killing, but she survived by chance. hears the cries of her little girl and fights to stay alive for her daughter. But this incident will enlighten a new worldview for her.

Dreamy Eyes(vi)

Mắt Biếc (Dreamy Eyes) tells the story of the one-sided love of Ngan for Ha Lan — his childhood friend.

Stranger(da)

When 19-year-old Aathi and her family, as the first farmers ever, arrive in what is now known as Denmark, her family is killed by a local tribe of hunter-gatherers. To survive, Aathi and her brother are forced to live with the tribe.

Joy in Moscow(fr)

Pretty Joy and her friend come to Moscow to shoot a commercial. A taxi driver, who recruits girls for an underground organization run by a distant descendant of Rasputin, suggests they visit the Rasputin Museum. During the tour, the girls are hypnotized by the evil character, who hypnotizes his victims before using their charms to seduce the rich tourists.

Who among us!(en)

A single machine is hidden among human contestants. Will they uncover who is the Fake?

Darna: The Return(tl)

Valentina, Darna's snake-haired arch enemy, is trying to take over the Phillipines through subliminal messages on religious TV shows. Darna has her own problems, however, as she has lost her magic pearl and with it the ability to transform into her scantily clad super self. Trapped as her alter-ego, the plucky reporter Narda, she must try to regain the pearl and foil Valentina's plans.

Happy Birthday!(en)

An unlucky Birthday boy must fight for his life against a masked psychopath.

Six Days of Sistine(en)

Two souls lost in a world of modernisation find each other in a moment's need for clarity and appreciation.

Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi(kn)

Krishna, a business tycoon, meets Pranaya, an orphan who runs an orphanage. Krishna, worried that his socio-economic status may separate him from Pranaya, pretends to be a driver and becomes employed by Pranaya. Pranaya soon learns about Krishna's identity, but she later accepts his love.

Cold Return(en)

A drifter with unknown motives arrives in town and leaves a trail of dead bodies in his wake.

Fight Club But With Tennis And No Fight(en)

Drama descends upon two tennis-obsessed women as the tension moves from off the court and into the café.

Anne Roumanoff : Aimons-nous les uns les autres, et plus encore…(fr)

The Return of the Salem Witch(en)

A group of students stuck inside for the holidays, unable to drive home due to bad weather conditions, soon find themselves conducting a modern day witch trial.

Daimon Graveyard 7(ja)

The seventh 'Daimon Graveyard' film.