Film Event: Genie VIP Screening with Taste Film

This week I was super excited to attend a very special VIP screening of Genie, a brand new Christmas film starring Melissa McCarthy and Paapa Essiedu, written by Richard Curtis. To celebrate the film's release exclusively on NOWTV and Sky Cinema*, we were treated to an exclusive screening, alongside an immersive culinary experience with Taste Film. 

Hosted at the Cinema at Selfridges (one of my favourite London cinemas) on Bond Street, we were greeted with some delicious festive-themed cocktails before taking our seats. As well as being shown an exclusive preview of Genie, the screening was paired with a unique menu crafted by Taste Film. 

For those of you who haven't yet been to a Taste Film event, they host film showings with a foodie twist. Taste Film create ‘moment to meal’ set menus and dining experiences to accompany the film, transporting guests into the worlds of our favourite film characters and stories. They work in collaboration with well-rated restaurants, and independent chefs in unique spaces for film loving foodies to take guests on a cinematic, multi-sensory, gastronomic adventure.  

Genie is a fun new festive fairy-tale comedy about a workaholic man, Bernie (Essiedu), who is down on his luck having put his job before family. Having unwittily enlisted the help of a magical genie (McCarthy) he uses his wishes to help win back his family and undo his wrongs before Christmas. 

With the film set in Manhattan at Christmas time, the menu was perfectly curated to encapsulate the tastes and smells of the city and season, with each course given a time stamp. As Bernie discovers the magic genie lamp, we were told to open our boxes which contained a 'Genie in a Box' - a delicious, glittery lychee liqueur and blue vodka cocktail; before tucking in to our Open-top New York cream cheese and salmon bagels. 

Next up on our menu was 'Red Bread' - a slice of authentic pepperoni New York style pizza, which even came in a box with the same branding as the pizza in the film - a lovely touch. As the film went on, we got to sample a Christmas Cocoa (full loaded hot chocolate with a hint of Baileys), a 'Christmas dinner with all the trimmings' - a sampler plate including Pig in Blanket, Turkey, Sprout & Cranberry Tart and Cheeseball. 

Course number six was a 'Wishful Drinking' bramble martini cocktail made from Absolut Blue, Absolut Citron, Benedictine, Creme de Mure and Lime. We finished off with two lots of sweets - a DIY Gingerbread with lemon drizzle flavoured icing and finally Dream Dessert, Peanut Butter and Cherry Jam Sandwich cake, served with Cherry Ice Cream. 

The Taste Film menu made for such a fun and unique experience to enjoy, along with the film which makes for a charming Christmas flick. All in all, we had a really wonderful evening getting in the festive spirit and sampling such delights. You can enjoy Genie exclusively on NOWTV and SkyCinema right now, and you can check out upcoming Taste Film events via their website, which include screenings for classics like Ratatouille and Bridesmaids.

You can also check out my Reel from this event via my Instagram @popcornandglitter. 

Until next time film foodies, happy holidays!

*Disclaimer: PR event - under no obligation to post. As always all opinions are my own and do not represent the view of the brand.