Devourfest

Mark Tchelistcheff receives his best doc award from Devour Food Film Fest at their Berlinale party.

Mark Tchelistcheff Director / Producer of "André - The Voice of Wine" a documentary which took 7 years in the making won an award last october at Devour Festival but could not pick it at the closing award ceremony (as he had already left). Lia Rinaldo and Michael Howell, the fest organizers, brought his trophy all the way from Nova Scottia and handed it during the wonderfull Berlinale reception at the Canadian embassy on Potzdamer Platz. http://andrethevoiceofwine.com

The award winning film André The Voice of Wine, narrated by BAFTA winner and Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes, is about one of the founding fathers of American wine, a globally influential wine personality and the force behind the California winners of the 1976 “Judgment of Paris” - the true back story of the film Bottle Shock.

A cinematic love letter about a modest, uncompromising man's journey from his earliest connection with vineyards in pre-revolutionary Russia to his rise to the pinnacle of wine culture in Europe and the United States. André Tchelistcheff was born into an aristocratic family in Moscow, remarkably survived the upheaval of the Russian revolution and civil war, then studied wine making in France. In 1938 the owner of Beaulieu Vineyard lured him to California's Napa Valley, where his professionalism, knowledge of science, dedication to innovation, the depth and breadth of his multi-cultural background along with his unmatched palate helped move the American wine industry from a virtually moribund state after the repeal of prohibition on to its post-war renaissance. For over five decades, Andre worked with numerous wineries that together helped establish the American wine industry. His philosophy of life and his love for wine continue to influence generations of wine makers throughout the world.

Film director, and André’s grandnephew, Mark Tchelistcheff, has spent the better part of a decade creating a film that chronicles the extraordinary life of his uncle André. Mark has assembled an illustrious team of filmmakers including multiple Academy Award winner Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The English Patient, The Unbearable Lightness of Being), whose poignant directorial advice helped shape the film, crisp editing from BAFTA winner Michael Chandler (Amadeus, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg, Mishima in Four Parts) and a stirring original score from award winning composer Alexei Aigui (I'm Not Your Negro, Le Petit Poucet, Moloch Tropical).