“When I came to New York, I realized food was a subject people love to talk about and outdo each other with,” says the Spanish director Albert Moya of how he came up with the idea behind his directorial debut, American Autumn. The satirical short film on the tribulations of adulthood stars a cast of schoolchildren, who play a New York quintet feasting on an opulent dinner, served with a side dish of pettiness and one-upmanship alongside the red cabbage and artichokes. 

As the young Spanish filmmaker who excerpted part of this Woody Allen-esque tale on NOWNESS last year prepares his next project — “a story about a mother and son who live on a desert island”—he assembles a menu of his favorite food-on-film moments.

Daisies (1966), directed by Vera Chytilová
It’s a 1960s feminist movie about two teenagers, and there’s a moment when they are dancing on a table full of desserts that is really chic. Nothing is taken seriously and it’s very funny.

Babette’s Feast (1987) directed by Gabriel Axel
This movie is an amazing experience for the viewer because of all the still lives of pork, cookware, and porcelain.

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) directed by Peter Greenaway
The last scene, when they eat a person, is presented as a food moment.

I Am Love (2009) directed by Luca Guadagnino
The moment when Tilda Swinton is eating shrimp in a restaurant and suddenly she’s having an aphrodisiac experience.

Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013) directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
I like the beginning when Adèle gets home after school. She’s eating spaghetti with her parents, watching TV, and her mother keeps giving them more and more pasta. She’s really enjoying it.