And the 2008 winners are... BEST FEATURE FILM - TABLELAND - Craig Noble Director BEST SHORT FILM - LA RACCOLTA - Donna Lennard Director BEST SUPER SHORT - THE SLOPPIEST BURGER IN MALAYSIA - Adly Rizal, Dir AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD - THIS IS MY CHEESESTEAK - Ben Daniels Director FOOD FILMMAKER of the YEAR - DONNA LENNARD CLICK HERE to see images from the 2008 Festival. The Second Annual NYC Food Film Festival was held at Water Taxi Beach, Long Island City, Queens, NY Saturday June 14th to Friday June 20th. The festival is a multi-sensory experience where filmgoers are able to watch food films then sample the food portrayed in those films. For a schedule of food highlights available during the festival click here. To view the 2008 NYC Food Film Festival Trailer CLICK HERE Opening night of the festival brought Ben Daniel's This Is My Cheesesteak to the big screen with a cheesesteak party to match. More than 200 hungry filmgoers came to the beach despite the pouring rain to watch this new documentary about Philadelphia's signature food and enjoy authentic Tony Luke's Philly Cheesesteaks under the stars with a stunning view of midtown Manhattan (scroll down to see a shot from 2007). Closing night of the festival featured Craig Noble's sustainable food doc Tableland matched with a Vegan feast made from local ingriedients and prepared by acclaimed vegan chef Matteo. It was a beautiful night that brought over 600 people to Water Taxi Beach for the screening. Please check the films list to read about the many other great food films that made this year's festival so special. On Tuesday June 17th (Pizza Night) 3 short films were screened in the tiny parking lot right next to the famous Grimaldi's Restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge. A huge thanks goes out to Marcello from Toro Asian Fusion for generously donating his parking lot for the event. It was an amazing NYC social experiment that totally worked. Thanks also to the 175 that showed up and to Grimaldi's for sending over 10 free pizzas. Awards were presented on Friday, June 20th at Water Taxi Beach in 5 categories: Food Filmmaker of the Year, Best Feature, Best Short, Best Super-Short (under 3 min.), and The Peroni Beer Audience Choice award (click here to see the award). Coming soon...a quicktime of the ceremony. We would like to thank this year's master sponsor Peroni Beer for getting involved in our sophmore year. Other sponsors this year include Jose Cuervo, Bulldog Gin, Sage Events, Woolwich Dairy, Jarlsberg Cheese, Tony Luke's, Toro Asian Fusion, and The New York Water Taxi. This festival would not be possible without the support of these sponsors and our good friend Tom Fox from the NY Water Taxi. We would also like to acknowledge our continuing association with the James Beard Foundation. Learn about the James Beard Foundation's exciting culinary programs and memberships at www.jamesbeard.org. See you next year! George Motz and Harry Hawk, Festival Directors