Cineclub FilmEU Cineclub - Film screening of ‘Cooking History’ by Peter Kerekes

Who would have imagined that wars could also be fought with pots, pans, and pepper shakers? In contrast to traditional documentaries that recall memories of war through direct testimonies, the Slovak director focuses on a particular aspect: the sensory element of war. Military cooks have a unique — and until now rarely shared — influence on the battlefield. “A hungry soldier does not feel safe,” explains a military cook while brandishing a sausage.

Feeding the troops is a tactical strategy with surprising outcomes in major European conflicts of the 20th century. A Russian woman's meat crêpes gave 11 million soldiers the courage to prevail in the Second World War. A Jewish baker in a prisoner-of-war camp executes a plan against his Nazi captors using only the tools at his disposal. Tito’s personal chef shares the menus of state dinners, where clashing national cuisines foreshadowed the Balkan War itself. Sometimes ironic and moving, the personal accounts of forgotten witnesses to History quietly humanise unrecorded battles and their costs. Six wars, 10 recipes, and 60,361,024 deaths – *Cooking History* is a fascinating reinterpretation of the past.

FilmEU CineClub is a unique international initiative where film students can watch carefully curated films and discuss them in an informal setting, promoting connections between different departments, levels of study, and institutions.

The post-film discussion will be moderated by Anastasiya Maksymchuk, who holds a PhD in film and media, focusing on topics such as memory, politicisation, trauma, and ritualism in cinema.