City of Zug, 22.06.2022

Love doesn't just go through the stomach: Zug Genussfilmfestival

The ‘Freunde Genussfilm Festival Zug’ association will host its well-known events at the end of September 2022. The festival organisers are sticking to the tried and tested formula: there will be good food to eat and great films to watch.

Enjoyment is a positive sensory sensation that is associated with physical or mental well-being.  A high level of enjoyment would accordingly be present if both the mind and the body are stimulated at the same time.

This is probably why the ‘Zuger Genussfilm Festival’ (Zug Pleasure Film Festival), which is taking place for the eighth time this year, is so popular. There will be films to watch from 29 September to 6 October, after which you can eat in the gourmet pavilion by Lake Zug.

The pavilion is run by chefs who, according to the press release for the eighth Genussfilm Festival, "are all rich in Michelin stars and 'Gault Millau' points". Mitja Birlo from Vals (GR), for example, the current "Gault Millau" chef of the current year, is just one of the chefs at the festival.

Local and foreign chefs will be present
On the first evening of the festival, Dominic Bürli from the Restaurant Wildenmann in Risch will be at the stove, accompanied by Stefan Meier from the Rathauskeller Zug. The other preparers of delicious food are being brought in from outside the canton by the festival management.

It goes without saying that the experts in the kitchen like to use the good reputation of the Zug event to advertise their delicacies in Central Switzerland. What is striking: there will be no top female chefs on the shores of Lake Zug this year.

The films or documentaries are shown first
The participants at the Genussfilm Festival can enjoy an extensive meal. But before they do this, they have to go to the cinema, however. Thanks to good contacts, Festival Managing Director Matthias Luchsinger always succeeds in finding films that are related with food in one form or another. The enjoyment for the eyes should help to further increase the appetite for what comes after the visit to the cinema.

The two feature films, which were made in 2021 and revolve around food, come from French (“Délicieux”) and British (“Boiling Point”) kitchens respectively. The French production ran in German-speaking countries under the title "À la carte – Freedom goes through the stomach" (Die Freiheit geht durch den Magen).

The pavilion will be rebuilt on Zug's lakeside promenade in the autumn           Photo: Daniel Vayman/PD

For once, the synchronous dubbing of the film title points the way to the plot. On the eve of the French Revolution (1789), a cook had to start anew in the countryside. The change could not be harder for him, as he was previously able to use all he wanted, as he was cooking for a nobleman. The change of perspective brings many challenges for the chef.

School children can also enjoy a film before having something to eat
The other cinema experiences are documentaries. The Genussfilm Festival in Zug also has a heart for children. Top chefs show school classes what to look out for when it comes to nutrition. The programme also includes a guide to what belongs to high-quality gastronomy.

A film is also part of the programme for the schoolchildren, as in the main programme. The German documentary "Taste the Waste" will be shown. This film shows how industrial societies deal with food or food waste.

As in previous years, various award ceremonies will also be part of the Genussfilm Festival. Photographers from Zug are designing a photo exhibition that will be shown in numerous places. Their theme fits the aim of the festival: "Food, drink, enjoyment".

The Freunde Genussfilm Festival Zug association (Friends of the Zug Pleasure Film Festival) are providing support for the festival, which has been organised since 2015, through both ideas and finance. In addition, there are numerous sponsors from all over the canton of Zug. Without their support, such a top-class festival would not be possible at all.