Devour! The Food Film Fest

This year we will celebrate the 15th anniversary of Devour! from October 20-26, 2025—a significant milestone in our journey. As we look to the future, our focus remains on creating a must-attend event that offers intimate, meaningful experiences, fostering personal connections between attendees, chefs, and filmmakers.

We will shine a spotlight on Montréal’s vibrant culinary scene–the Devour! Montréal All-Stars–bringing culinary Montréal legends, Michelin-starred chefs, Oscar-winning filmmakers, and emerging talent together for a week-long celebration of food, film, and friendly competition with Atlantic Canada’s chefs, food, and beverage producers.

“Now more than ever, it’s time to spotlight the incredible Canadian chefs and filmmakers shaping our food culture. We’re thrilled to bring a taste of Montréal to Nova Scotia and celebrate our country’s powerhouse talent!” says Michael Howell, Executive Director of Devour! The Food Film Fest. “What began as a simple idea 15 years ago—pairing film with food for one transformative week—has put Nova Scotia on the map. With the completed Devour! Studios, we can’t wait to turn Nova Scotia into a year-round food and film destination.”

The festival’s finely curated program highlights current food trends and issues, farming, sustainability, and the impact of current food systems on our lives while proudly showcasing and supporting the talented local chefs who bring our region’s unique flavours to life. Described by the Hollywood Reports as “the top foodie destination on the film festival circuit,” it has welcomed celebrity chefs, actors and filmmakers like Anthony Bourdain, Chuck Hughes, Michael Städtlander, Lidia Bastianich, Jacques Pépin, Ben Proudfoot, Jason Priestley, Bill Pullman, Gordon Pinsent, and over 99,000 attendees from across North America.

In 2019 alone, it generated $1.9 million in economic activity for the province of Nova Scotia. It has helped countless hospitality and culinary Nova Scotia Community College students gain valuable experience and an opportunity to be mentored by world-class chefs. From a film perspective, it creates a platform for Canadian filmmakers to showcase their work and inspire young children to develop films through its Nourish NS Food Film Challenge.

“Devour! has created a one-of-a-kind platform where Oscar-winning and rising stars of film can explore our love affair with food and its impact on our culture,” says Lia Rinaldo, Managing Director of Devour! The Food Film Fest. “It has been an incredible journey. We can’t thank our government partners, sponsors, producers, volunteers and Annapolis Valley Community for taking a leap of faith and helping us turn Devour! into a must-attend culinary and film celebration.”

Devour! takes place in Wolfville, Kings County, the agricultural heartland of Nova Scotia; home to a thriving wine industry and hospitable community with a longstanding farm-to-table ethos.

Devour!, the top foodie destination on the film festival circuit. – The Hollywood Reporter

Combining cinematic talent with extraordinary gastronomic activities, Devour! The Food Film Fest is the world's largest film festival focused on all things culinary. The annual week-long festival typically hosts 100+ events, high profile chefs and celebrated filmmakers from around the world and, in 2019 (our last pre-pandemic edition), attracted over 14,000 food and film lovers to Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. We are one of the few festivals in Canada who produced live events through the entire pandemic.

Devour! is a must for all food lovers. – Chef Jacques Pépin

The festival has become a destination and has attracted celebrities including culinary personalities Anthony Bourdain, Phil Rosenthal, Lidia Bastianich, Dominique Crenn, Bob Blumer, Jacques Pépin; actors Jason Priestley, Bill Pullman, Joe Pantoliano and Gordon Pinsent; writers Lucy Waverman, Judith Olney, Kat Flinn and Sarah Musgrave; notable Chefs Sam Kass, Michael Smith, Chuck Hughes, Barbara Lynch, Mary Sue Milliken, Normand Laprise, Michael Städtlander, Rob Gentile, Jeremy Charles, Ned Bell, Todd Perrin, John Higgins; industry leaders Chef's Table, Thug Kitchen, bon appétit, America's Test Kitchen, PBS Food & PBS Digital, Tastemade, Kitchen Vignettes, Delicious Cinema, VICE, The Perennial Plate, Dennis The Prescott, MattBites, #FoodFilms, Chef Jacques La Merde, Ulterior Epicure and many other luminaries from the culinary and film worlds that attend our festival activities, both in Nova Scotia and around the world at our satellite events.

Devour! is the perfect blend of arts, food, film and fun.
– Joseph Pantoliano, Joey Pants of The Sopranos

Programming for the signature festival will be announced early September 2025. For more information, visit www.devourfest.com.

More Reviews:

"Having your film played at Devour! isn't just another screening, it's an experience. Coming together in Wolfville to celebrate films and food is something so unique you'll want to keep making films just so you can come back again year after year. And that's exactly what I did for 5 years straight. I wouldn't be the filmmaker I am today without this festival and the community that brings it to life."
– JR Reid, Director, Motioneer Productions

"The Devour! team kicked off our film From the Vine's North American festival run with an incredible premiere! The audiences were enthusiastic and come hungry for both great stories and amazing food and drink! My lead actor Joe Pantoliano and I both fondly look back at our time in Wolfville as a highlight on our entire international festival tour."
– Sean Cisterna, Director of From the Vine