Spanish language film ‘Tasting Menu’ starring Fionnula Flanagan and Stephen Rea, has been named as the opening film at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh while the big screen adaptation of John Banville’s ‘The Sea’ will close the festival, it has been revealed today.
A romantic ensemble comedy dedicated to food and the Mediterranean way of life, ‘Tasting Menu’ is directed by Roger Gual and also features Claudia Bassols, Jan Cornet, Rodrigo Cortés and Togo Igawa.
The film centres around characters Marc and Rachel, who book a table at a restaurant in Costa Brava on the last night before the restaurant closes forever, when unexpected things happen.
‘The Sea’ - which receives its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this week - stars Ciarán Hinds, Charlotte Rampling, Natascha McElhone, Rufus Sewell, Bonnie Wright and Sinéad Cusack.
Based on the 2005 Booker prize winning novel, ‘The Sea’ follows grieving widower Max Morden (Hinds) who returns to the seaside resort where he spent summers as a child and revisits memories of his past.
The film is directed by Stephen Brown and was shot in Wexford, at locations including Ballymoney, Courtown, Ballygarrett and Rosslare, with post production carried out at Dublin’s Windmill Lane.
Tickets for both films are now available to book from the Town Hall Theatre in Galway by calling (091) 569777 or online here.
The trailer for ‘Tasting Menu’ is available to watch below: