Written by: Angelo Acerbi
Burgundy, a documentary by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, included in the Venice Open section, out of competition, at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, delves into the rich traditions and community life surrounding the iconic French wine region. The territory naturally guided their story, revealing the region’s discreet charm and cultural depth, making the film a compelling portrait of heritage and identity.
Burgundy and Its Communities
Dweck and Kershaw shared their fascination with communities close to nature and dedicated to preserving longstanding traditions. Their two-year immersion allowed them to deeply connect with the Burgundy region, capturing its magical and discreet essence. Their approach focused on hanging out with locals, sharing meals, and drinking wine — elements that helped foster genuine relationships and uncover authentic stories.
By immersing themselves fully, they were able to authentically translate these experiences into cinematic narratives reflecting Burgundy’s soul. The film seeks not only to depict winemaking, but to embody the spirit of a community rooted in history and natural harmony.
Working in Burgundy and the Creative Process
Dweck and Kershaw explained that their collaboration began over 17 years ago, starting with a film about a stock car racetrack in Long Island. Their partnership became increasingly focused on exploring regions linked to wine and culture, including Piedmont and Argentina, before turning their gaze to Burgundy.
Their intuitive process involves minimal scripting, relying instead on immersion and natural flow. Dialogue and shared sensibilities allowed stories to emerge organically over the two-year production period. This approach ensures depth and authenticity, critical in portraying the contrasting generations within Burgundy’s wine industry and capturing the subtle tensions between tradition and innovation.
The Generational Contrasts
The film highlights the fascinating tension between old-fashioned, traditional winemakers and the emerging younger generation. Dweck and Kershaw noted Burgundy’s almost timeless system of wine designations, rooted in centuries-old monastic practices.
This system creates challenges for outsiders or younger vintners — especially those from outside the region, like Enzo, from poorer areas, who face significant obstacles entering the prestigious world of Burgundy wine. The documentary portrays these generational and class-based contrasts as natural parts of Burgundy’s landscape, a landscape that remains largely untouched by change.
Plot
In Burgundy, the world’s most celebrated wines are only part of the story. Behind every bottle lies a world shaped by ritual and inheritance, and by those striving to preserve or transform it. Through the eyes of a new generation searching for its place, Burgundy opens the doors to a world rarely seen from within, and then imagines its way further inside. An aspiring sommelière earning her craft under one of the greats meets a young vineyard worker who longs to become part of a world he has only admired from afar. Around them, an aristocratic winemaker defines his legacy, a legendary maître d’hôtel seeks his heir, and a reverent wine critic pursues the sublime. Devotion, desire and heritage intertwine in a portrait where the observed and the invented become inseparable.