Meat Lovers Unite for the Melbourne Salami Festa

Melbourne’s original Salami Festa launches this year’s event with a cinema spot directed by Adrian Bosich of Airbag Productions, screening during the Italian Film Festival. 

The Festa - founded by Melbourne creative Carlo Mazzarella, now of Leo Burnett Sydney - celebrates the rich culture and ‘garage-to-plate’ philosophy of homemade salami with a focus on the local makers who keep the tradition alive and thriving. The Festa culminates in the announcement of the Judge’s Choice Award given to the maker of the best salami in show.

The spot stars Remo Palermo, champion of last year’s Festa who’ll be defending his title in 2014, and celebrates the dedication and passion one man has for the two great loves of his life: his wife and his homemade salami. Says Mazzarella, “The heroes of the Festa are the makers so I think it’s fitting that one of our competitors is the star of the ad, especially one with a moustache like Remo’s.”

“Remo? He’s charming, but competitive – watch out!” laughs Bosich, who ‘gets’ the whole salami culture as he grew up in a large Italian family that honours the annual culinary tradition. “We wanted to inject the love that goes into the salami into the script and into the delivery. Having Remo’s adorable wife Anna hero alongside him allowed us to playfully embrace the day-to-day salami-centric lifestyle of the true backyard artisan.”

Bosich enthuses, “This project was a joy and a gift – a chance to create a rich visual world that intertwines characters and oddity with humour. The key for me with Remo as a non-actor was to explore his personal world, and push it for comedy. Camera movement, framing and lensing is an ode to classic cinema, as is the music from old-school crooner Teddy Reno.”

The 3rd annual Melbourne Salami Festa is on Sunday October 26, from 10am to 6pm at the Northcote Town Hall, Melbourne. Tickets are available now.