Fifteen years ago, Devour! The Food Film Fest began as a small but spirited idea: pair the stories we tell on screen with the flavours we love on our plates. Today, the world’s largest food film festival celebrates a milestone with a week that feels like a love letter to Canada’s culinary present and to the filmmakers who keep our appetites curious. From Oct. 20-26, Wolfville welcomes an all-star cast from Montréal, a slate of foodie films, and enough pop-ups, markets and dining events to make even the most seasoned festival-goer loosen their belt a notch or two.
This year the kitchen lights tilt decisively toward Montréal, although the opening gala is all Nova Scotian, with Taste of Nova Scotia its primary partner. According to festival co-organizer Michael Howell, “The Taste of Nova Scotia Gala is always a showstopper. Restaurateurs and beverage purveyors like Lupin Dining & Pantry, Morris East, The Carleton, D’Eon Oyster Company, Tatamagouche Brewing Co., and Luckett Vineyards will be rolling out the red carpet. From freshly shucked oysters and artisanal cheeses to craft beers, ciders and Nova Scotia wines, it’s a feast that captures the very essence of the East Coast.”
Then it’s Québec’s time to shine. Chef Danny Smiles of Le Violon returns fresh off the restaurant’s crowning as Canada’s Best New Restaurant. He is joined by Antonin Mousseau-Rivard of Le Mousso (a Michelin Guide favourite), Massimo Piedimonte of Cabaret l’Enfer (Top Chef season 22 semi-finalist) and Ariel Schor of Beba (ranked No. 7 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants). The team behind Nora Gray, Elena and Gia—Emma Cardarelli, Janice Tiefenbach and sommelier Ryan Gray—bring the kind of relaxed precision that Montréal does better than almost anyone. Add Stéphanie Labelle of Pâtisserie Rhubarbe, Jean-Sébastien Giguère of Coureur des Bois, and Renée Deschenes-O’Hagan and Elias Louie Deligianis of Bistro La Franquette, and you have a week where the only plan that makes sense is to arrive hungry.
As for the choice to spotlight Montréal, co-organizer Michael Howell says, “we wanted to shine a light on Canada’s vibrant food scene. With the Michelin Guide now in Québec and Toronto, nearly a quarter of Canada’s Top 100 Best restaurants are from Montréal, and, most recently, Montréal had a significant showing at the new 2025 North America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. We knew we wanted to focus on this city’s fantastic food scene. We also had the chance to work with Chef Danny Smiles back in 2017, and we knew we had to bring him back. He’s gone from our guest chef to leading Canada’s No. 1 best new restaurant. Even Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry have stopped by his table!”
Devour! remains a film festival first and last, which is why the programme reads like a passport. Expect 47 films across 24 screenings, with a remarkable 45 per cent Canadian content, including a special spotlight on Québec with three dramatic features. Lia Rinaldo, co-organizer of the event, says, “food is our love language, and for 15 years we’ve crafted film programmes highlighting its importance from various perspectives. We viewed over 300 films to curate this year’s programme of 47 films that will take audiences on a global culinary journey. We’re happy to report that our film programme is 45 per cent Canadian content this year, including three dramatic features from Québec.”
The humble Acadian dessert blueberry grunt will also have its moment at this year’s festival. It lends its name to the Opening Gala film: Blueberry Grunt, from acclaimed Newfoundland writer and filmmaker Sherry White. The gripping drama stars Joel Thomas Hynes and Liisa Repo-Martell as Harold and Vivian, a married couple whose annual blueberry-picking trip takes a dark turn, testing both their marriage and their survival. It is also the dish you will taste after the screening.
Other features include the Canadian premiere of Animals in War, shot on location in Ukraine, a reminder that food stories can carry courage as well as comfort. And, in a neat piece of symmetry, this year’s Cannes opening film Partir un Jour, from director Amélie Bonnin, will close the festival—a parting toast to the power of crossing borders, on screen and at the table. The Devour! Golden Tines Film Jury also welcomes esteemed Montréal critic Lesley Chesterman, whose pen has been described as as sharp as her palate.
The events are a mix of polished gala and joyful street food. The new Montréal Night Market brings Plateau energy to the Valley. The Poutine Smackdown invites East Coast and Montréal chefs to settle friendly scores with gravy and curds. For the awards morning, Chef Jean-Sébastien Giguère transports his celebrated Cabane du Coureur sugar-shack experience to the Golden Tines brunch. You can graze through the Taste of Nova Scotia Opening Gala, the Chefs & Shorts Gala, and tuck into lunches at Le Caveau and Lightfoot & Wolfville, where our region’s wines can speak to visiting chefs in the language of acidity and sea breeze.
Ultimately, regardless of who is being featured, it is a win for the province. According to Rinaldo, “Over 15 years, we’ve hosted icons like Anthony Bourdain, Jacques Pépin and Dominique Crenn, welcomed nearly 100,000 guests and screened 750-plus films. We have showcased 525 Atlantic Canadian producers and restaurants, and provided more than 750 NSCC students—and dozens from George Brown and PICA—with hands-on experience chopping, peeling and cooking throughout the festival. These young chefs have become an essential part of the Devour! family, and they have gone on to build amazing relationships with our visiting chefs.”