STEAK (R) EVOLUTION

West Coast Premiere • Documentary • France, 2014

DCP • 16:9 • Dolby 5.1 • Color • 110 min

Directed by: Frank Ribière

Written by: Franck Ribière, Vérane Frédiani
Cinematography: Frank Ribière
Film Editing: Vérane Frédiani
Original Score: Eric Jeanne
Produced by: Vérane Frédiani (La Ferme production)
Coproduced by: C productions
Cast: Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec (himself), Frank Ribière (himself)
International Sales: Jour2Fete
US Distributor: Kino Lorber

The stakes are clear when documentarian Franck Ribière and preeminent Parisien butcher Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec set off on a journey around the world to reveal what it takes to make the cut in the evolving marketplace of ultra high-end beef. Our two bons vivants visit the newest players in the industry, from Argentina to the famous Kobe ranches in Japan – where cattle are massaged in Saki to the soothing sounds of classical music – ranking their steakhouse Top Ten as they go. This engrossing and unapologetic search for the meat-eater’s holy grail fills the screen with enough sizzling porterhouse porn to leave herbivores weak at the knees. But Ribière, whose family raises prized Charolais cattle, is careful to remind us what it takes to manage livestock responsibly in the age of mass food production, and to show that those world-class cuts are not only the result of highly passionate chefs, but also the most humane ranching practices.

Writer/director Franck Ribière began his film career producing documentaries. After leading a film subsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi Medias, Ribière partnered with writer/producer Vérane Frédiani to create La Fabrique de Films and Ferme Productions to distribute and produce feature films. They established a reputation in the horror genre producing pictures such as Inside (2007), and Witching & Bitching (2013). This is Ribière’s first feature length film as a director. A companion book has been published in conjunction with the documentary’s French release, Steak (r)évolution: A la recherche du meilleur steack du monde, co-written by Ribière and Vérane Frédiani.

Quotes:

“An absorbing, and often enlightening, quest for the world’s greatest sirloin.”
– Jordan Mintzer HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“ … a beautiful gastronomic and philosophical stroll”
– Sandrine Marques LE MONDE