Food has a great influence on our well being and our body. Everybody knows that the Mediterranean Diet, consisting of plant based foods like vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes and fruits, with few or no animal products - is good for our health. Only few of us know, however, how particular plants affect different parts of our body, our heart and mind or how the food we eat can act as medicine, if used correctly.

Narrated by Jean-Marc Barr, The Perfect Meal series follows five leading international scientists who gradually uncover the secret mechanisms of the Mediterranean Diet and reveal how certain ingredients and combinations of plant based foods can protect us from obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and brain- ageing.

The film travels from France to Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Sweden and the United States to discover the most recent science behind the healthiest food for our bodies. It captures ongoing research, including high-end medical examinations, face-to-face interviews with trial participants, experiments in labs and in olive groves, as well as moments in the daily lives of scientists and their patients.

The film uses images caught under electron microscopes and high-tech scans, combining them with animation to reveal what happens in our bodies when we eat specific food. It also uses stop motion animation and stylized sequences of vegetables and fruits, in addition to immersive scenes of the Mediterranean landscape. Furthermore, archive footage from the Mediterranean and scientific research carried out since the 1950s helps us understand the evolution of nutritional science, but also to visualize where the Mediterranean Diet comes from and how its benefits were gradually uncovered. Finally, a commentary will help to guide viewers and explain the importance of scientific findings.

Beyond the sequences shot on location and the encounters with researchers and patients, additional eminent scientists will be interviewed, offering context to the ongoing research of their peers.

The series is comprised of five episodes with the following themes: Mediterranean Discovery, Liquid Gold, Garden Superfoods, Food for Thought, and Sustainable Food.

The Perfect Meal series includes the following titles:

The Perfect Meal, Episode 1: A Mediterranean Discovery

Upcoming London cook Marianna Leivaditaki returns to her homeland in Chania, Crete, reconnecting with her family and seeking inspiration for her new menu.

First Hand Films | 2023 | 26 minutes | 7-12, College, Adults

The Perfect Meal, Episode 2: Liquid Gold

In Pamplona, Spain, a group of scientists has been researching the connection between our health and the food we eat since the 1980s.

First Hand Films | 2023 | 26 minutes | 7-12, College, Adults

The Perfect Meal, Episode 3: Garden Superfoods

How can food be used as preventive medicine? At Harvard University, Dr. Walter Willet has been tracking the diets of 300,000 people for 40 years

First Hand Films | 2023 | 26 minutes | 7-12, College, Adults

The Perfect Meal, Episode 4: Food for Thought

It's lunch time at an elementary school in Gothenburg, Sweden.

First Hand Films | 2023 | 26 minutes | 7-12, College, Adults

The Perfect Meal, Episode 5: Sustainable Food

The Mediterranean Diet is the world's most sustainable food tradition.

First Hand Films | 2023 | 26 minutes | 7-12, College, Adults

Visit the title page to preview any of the titles above.