Wolvesmouth

"Freedom is more important than money," says a passionate Craig Thornton, who with his culinary salons – the Wolvesmouth "communal dinner parties" – operates at the intersection of food, art and social interaction. The guests pay what they like, so these incredibly popular evenings aren't reserved just for the very rich. Documentary filmmaker Lucy Walker travels with Thornton back to his youth, which he spent in a trailer park in Arizona. While his violent stepfather cooked crystal meth, his mother fell further and further into addiction. Thornton was brought up by his grandmother, who also taught him to cook and encouraged him to leave his parents' home. Growing up in such circumstances both damaged and shaped Thornton. Swimming against the culinary stream dedicated to simplicity and using a plate as a palette, Thornton creates stunning, baroque artworks full of passion and darkness – and they also taste amazing. He once had the idea of opening a restaurant where the guests had a choice between ascending to heaven or descending into hell. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)