Grand Prix Winner at the 2012 Tokyo International Film Festival's Natural TIFF Section

The Golden Temple, also known as Harmandir Sahib, is the central seat of Sikhism located in northwestern India, near the border with Pakistan. It is renowned for serving meals to as many as 100,000 visitors daily. 'The Food of the Saints,' which won the Grand Prix in the Natural TIFF section at the 2012 Tokyo International Film Festival, now makes its Japanese debut under the title 'Seijya-tachi no Shokutaku' (The Food of the Saints), offering a look behind the scenes of this sacred Indian kitchen.

The film is directed by the Belgian couple Philippe Vandevelde and Valérie Berckmans, who are also chefs with their own mobile kitchen. They were inspired to create the film by the concept of the 'sacred kitchen' that has been sustained at the Golden Temple for nearly 500 years.

A 'Sacred Place' Where Everyone Can Eat Fairly

The Golden Temple prepares meals for up to 100,000 people daily, offering them all free of charge to pilgrims and visitors. It is a 'sacred place' where everyone, regardless of religion, race, class, or occupation, can eat their fill fairly.

Visitors share rice from the same pot, free from concerns about discrimination or prejudice. This grand communal gathering is sustained by unchanging traditions, large cooking pots, time-honored methods, abundant ingredients, and, more importantly, the selfless labor of devotees—like the men peeling garlic skins all day—and the divine, efficient movements of those who prepare the food. The inner workings of this astonishing kitchen are now revealed.—.

This film, devoid of music and dialogue, simply follows a day at Harmandir Sahib. It invites viewers on a sublime short journey, showcasing the timeless scenes of dining at India's Golden Temple—a reminder of the fundamental act of 'eating' that sustains our lives—alongside breathtaking views of the temple itself.



 

'The Food of the Saints'
Opening September 27 (Saturday) at Shibuya Uplink, Shinjuku K's Cinema, and other theaters nationwide.
Directors | Philippe Vandevelde, Valérie Berckmans
Distributor | Uplink
2011 | Belgium | 65 min |
http://www.uplink.co.jp/seijya/