Movistar+’s ‘Mugaritz. Sin pan ni postre,’ By ‘Verónica’s’ Paco Plaza

Culinary Zinema, the San Sebastian Film Festival’s hugely popular food-themed sidebar, opens Sept. 23 with “Mugaritz. No Bread no Dessert,” (“Mugaritz. Sin pan ni postre”) which draws back the curtains to reveal the inner workings of the two-Michelin Star Basque restaurant, Mugaritz.

Produced by Movistar Plus+ and Fonte Films, the documentary is directed by Paco Plaza (“The Grandmother,” “Veronica”) who was given access to the inner sanctum of the 26-year old restaurant located just outside the tony city of San Sebastian. In the documentary, Plaza follows Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz and his team as the restaurant closes its doors to the public for a few months. During this time, they deliberate and craft a new and edgy gastronomic experience for the coming season.

By late April, Mugaritz opens with the aim of testing the curious diners who pick up the gauntlet and accept the challenge. The staff is encouraged by the chef de cuisine “to surprise, astonish, provoke and even piss off people” for this year’s theme, “Lo que no se ve” (What cannot be seen). In the end, the 20-plus dishes aim to blur the lines between the avant-garde and the traditional, gastronomy and science, cuisine and art. Every season is an unexpected leap into the void, with no room for the hit dishes of the previous season. Some inventive dishes include one where the diner has to smash a bone to reach the ingredients and a tea served in a cup made of leaves.

This original Movistar Plus+ production, which debuts an exclusive teaser in Variety, marks another leap in the platform’s original production strategy, underscored by the company’s alliances with directors like Plaza and the broader ecosystem of Spanish cinema, including independent production companies like Fonte Films, founded by Pablo Isla, Carla Pérez de Albéniz, and María Jesús Román.

In an exclusive…