Freep Film Festival and Frame to offer dinner-and-a-movie events

The Freep Film Festival and Hazel Park restaurant Frame are once again teaming up to present a series of special evenings next month.

They'll be screening four food-focused documentaries featured in this year's festival lineup at Frame, where chefs Michael Barrera and Joseph VanWagner will create meals that reflect the content of the films. Tickets for the events go on sale 10 a.m. Wednesday at framehazelpark.com.

Barrera, who is Frame's culinary director, said it's "a privilege to explore the way food and film intersect." This is the third year of the Dinner and a Movie experience. Previous years have included multiple sellouts.

"Crush: Message in a Bottle," screening April 14 at Frame, explores low-intervention wine production in Ontario's Niagara region.
"Crush: Message in a Bottle," screening April 14 at Frame, explores low-intervention wine production in Ontario's Niagara region.

This year's featured films and curated meals are:

"The Michoacan File": A film that challenges and deconstructs common perceptions of Mexican food in modern times. It will be paired with an authentic Mexican dinner prepared by Barrera. 5:30 p.m. April 11, $95 plus taxes and fees.

"Common Ground": A beautifully photographed documentary featuring Jason Momoa, Donald Glover and Woody Harrelson that offers a unifying and nonpartisan message on how to put farmers back to work and stabilize the climate. It comes with a wood-fired, vegetable-forward dinner by VanWagner. 5:30 p.m. April 12, $95 plus taxes and fees.

“The Truffle Hunters”: A film with gorgeous cinematography and a meditative vibe about the search for truffles in the deep forests of northern Italy. It comes with a luxe truffle dinner with Old World Truffles by VanWagner. 5:30 p.m. April 13, $115 plus taxes and fees.

“Crush: Message in a Bottle”: An exploration of the real-world trials of producing exceptional bottles of low-intervention wine in an unexpected locale: Ontario’s Niagara region. Barrera will prepare a rustic bistro wine dinner, and the evening will include a bottle list of low intervention, wild ferment, organic and sustainable wines by Diego Aliste. 4:30 p.m. April 14, $95 plus taxes and fees.

Each film screening will include two dinner seatings. When buying tickets, guests can choose whether to have their meal before or after the film. Plan on an evening lasting at least 3? hours.

The Freep Film Festival runs April 10-14 at a variety of venues in downtown Detroit and the suburbs. Tickets for the opening night screening of “Rouge” at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts are already on sale.

More: Freep Film Festival to open with documentary on storied River Rouge basketball team

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Freep Film Festival and Frame to offer dinner-and-a-movie events