Film Synopsis
‘A romance for everyone who owns an Italian cookbook’
Two damaged people from very different backgrounds are drawn together by a shared passion for food and wine. Ben is a feckless but fundamentally decent English academic on the run from his own mistakes. Alessandra is a talented but bitter Italian chef escaping her ex-partner’s stupidity. It’s definitely not love at first sight. Their two worlds collide in the ancient Principality of Seborga, whose claimed independence from Italy dates back to the Knights Templar.
Perched high above the azure sea of the Italian Riviera it is a community in sight of, but also in stark contrast to, its wealthier neighbour, Monaco. The forces of globalisation threaten Alessandra’s family Osteria and the community’s artisan food producers. If he is to win the woman and earn the respect of his new neighbours Ben needs a plan to help them survive.
Setting of the story
Cooking Up A Country will be an international feature film based on the book ‘Cooking Up A Country’ by James Vasey. The book is based on a true story about the principality of Seborga, a small Italian village elected one of I Borghi più belli d’Italia (“The most beautiful villages of Italy”). Seborga is located in the region of Liguarianear the French border and is known for being the ’territory’ of the self-proclaimed micro nation the Principality of Seborga. It claimed it’s independence from Italy in 1963, when the head of the local flower growers’ co-operative Giorgio Carbone, began promoting the idea that Seborga and it’s surrounding territory should become independent from Italy.
The incredible true narrative forms the background of a captivating story, weaving together the intricacies of love amidst a tapestry of people, cuisine, heritage and the beauties of nature.