When the big screen meets haute cuisine, emotions are born that speak the same language: that of creativity. On the occasion of the Rome Film Festival, the prestigious “Chef del Cinema” award returns, an event that celebrates the meeting between culinary art and the world of entertainment.
Among the protagonists of this edition is Filippo Cogliandro, chef at L’Accademia Gourmet in Reggio Calabria, who has been an ambassador for Calabrian cuisine around the world for years.
“It is an honor to receive this invitation,” says the chef, “but above all, it is a new opportunity to give voice to my homeland, Calabria, through cuisine.”
The 19th edition of the Festival, taking place in the capital from October 15 to 26, hosted the event in parallel with the Festa del Cinema, with an exclusive evening on October 21 that brought together gastronomic excellence, actors, directors, personal chefs, and food bloggers under the spotlight of one of the most watched red carpets in the world.
Juliana Moreira and Edoardo Stoppa were the hosts of the 2025 edition, in an evening that highlighted the value of the union between two arts capable of evoking emotions and telling stories.
“Every dish is a scene, every flavor is an emotion,” says Cogliandro. “At the Film Festival, I brought my Calabria as if it were an arthouse film, recounting it with the same intensity as a cinematic work.”
The art of storytelling through cuisine
Always committed to promoting the authentic image of Calabria, Filippo Cogliandro has transformed cuisine into a cultural language, capable of uniting gastronomy, art, music, and literature.
His famous Cene d’Arte (Art Dinners), hosted in his Accademia Gourmet, are multisensory experiences where each dish becomes a story, each ingredient a word in a larger narrative.
The nomination for the Chef del Cinema 2025 award is a natural recognition for a chef who has been bringing his homeland to the international stage for years, translating the identity of a region rich in traditions and contrasts into flavors.
It is no coincidence that some of his creations have been chosen to embellish the scenes of a film shot in Reggio Calabria, confirming once again his role as a bridge between cuisine and visual art.
An ambassador for bergamot and Calabria around the world
Known as the “bergamot chef of Reggio Calabria”, Cogliandro is a storyteller of taste who has been able to transform the scents of his homeland into a universal tale of authenticity, beauty, and rebirth.
His professional history is intertwined with symbolic projects, such as the Cene della Legalità® (Dinners of Legality), created to promote values of justice and social redemption.
In 2014, Giorgio Mulè joined him in inaugurating the first Food Experience of Panorama d’Italia—a national tour created for the 25th anniversary of the weekly magazine Panorama—in Reggio Calabria, recognizing Cogliandro as a symbol of pride and rebirth for the entire region.
Among the many awards he has received are the Premio Borsellino (2016), the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award (2017) from the Lions Club of Pistoia, and the Paul Harris Fellow Rotary International in Verona.
Very active on social media and in the national media, Cogliandro tells the story of authentic Calabria, overcoming stereotypes and restoring its more cultured, generous, and true image.
Solidarity as an essential ingredient
Alongside creativity and experimentation, the chef carries out important solidarity projects such as Cucina Solidale in Gambia, an initiative that combines food education and international cooperation.
“I deeply believe in the power of cooking as a language that unites, educates, and restores dignity. This is how I tell the world about my Calabria.”
Filippo Cogliandro’s participation in the “Chef del Cinema 2025” award seals a journey in which taste becomes culture, cuisine becomes storytelling, and Calabria ideally steps onto the red carpet in Rome as a protagonist of light, passion, and identity.
