Tony - film premiere

The film Tony tells the story of Anthony Bourdain's beginnings long before he became a famous chef.

A young outsider, a rejected writing scholarship, and one summer in a chaotic restaurant kitchen that will change his life forever. The film "Tony" tells the story of Anthony Bourdain's beginnings long before he became a famous chef, writer, traveler, and one of the most prominent figures in modern gastronomic culture. The A24 film will be released in Czech cinemas on September 10, 2026, by distributor Continental Film. At nineteen, he wants to become a writer and has no idea which direction his life will take. When he fails to secure the coveted writing scholarship, Anthony Bourdain arrives in seaside Provincetown, Massachusetts. Instead of a literary career, he takes a summer job at a seafood-focused restaurant and steps into the world of professional kitchens for the first time. Behind its doors, he finds an environment full of noise, tension, sharp humor, physical labor, and strong personalities. The kitchen has its own rules, its own rhythm, and a tight-knit community of people who provoke, support, and keep each other afloat. For the restless young man still searching for his place, this environment becomes a space for significant personal transformation. "Tony" is the story of how a young outsider began to become Anthony Bourdain. Unlike traditional biographical films, this one does not attempt to summarize Bourdain's entire life or check off his most famous achievements. It focuses on a single formative moment, one intense summer in the mid-1970s that directed young Tony toward his future path as a chef, writer, traveler, and cultural icon. It is more of a summer "origin story" and an authentic coming-of-age tale inspired by a real chapter of Bourdain's life. The film captures the kitchen not just as a workplace but also as a place of transformation, community, and the search for identity. It is here that Tony first discovers a world in which, despite its chaos and harshness, he feels surprisingly at home. A significant character in Tony's life journey is portrayed by Antonio Banderas. His Ciro is a restaurant owner, an experienced chef, and a mentor who welcomes young Tony into the kitchen and begins to teach him not only how to cook but also how to understand the environment he has just become a part of. Their relationship gradually becomes one of the key elements of the story. Ciro recognizes talent, curiosity, and energy in the restless young man that Tony has yet to properly name or utilize. He teaches him not only cooking techniques but also helps him discover the discipline, humility, and direction that will later shape his life. Young Anthony Bourdain is played by Dominic Sessa, who gained significant attention in the film "Winter Break." Alongside him and Antonio Banderas, the film also features Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, Stavros Halkias, and others. The film's creation was also supported by Anthony Bourdain's estate. The family particularly appreciated the fact that the creators did not attempt to make a standard biographical film or simplify Bourdain's entire life into one closed story. "We decided to support Tony because it is not a standard biographical film and does not try to summarize an entire life," stated Bourdain's family. According to the family, the film is an interpretation of one transformative summer, as this part of Bourdain's life will always remain somewhat unknown. They also appreciated that the film captures his complexity, intellectual curiosity, and inner conviction—qualities that later took him around the world and endeared him to millions. The family hopes that the film will remind viewers that every great journey has its beginning and allow them to glimpse the first steps of a man who later changed the way we think about food, travel, other cultures, and the people we meet on our journeys. The first trailer released by A24 suggests a raw, energetic, and authentic tone for the film. It alternates between the atmosphere of a crowded restaurant kitchen, the seaside, long shifts, noisy parties, and moments when an uncertain young man begins to develop the personality that will later influence the world of gastronomy, travel, and popular culture. The film captures not only the romantic notion of life by the sea but also the harsh reality of working in gastronomy. Tony learns to prepare seafood, cope with the exhausting pace of the kitchen, and accept that talent alone is not enough. At the same time, he discovers friendship, a sense of belonging, and a unique freedom that this world offers him. The film is directed by Matt Johnson, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Todd Bartels and Lou Howe. His film does not follow a finished legend but a young person at the very beginning, curious, arrogant, insecure, funny, and still searching. "Tony" is not a story about fame. It is a story about the moment when a person first glimpses who they might one day become. The A24 film will be released in Czech cinemas on September 10, 2026, by distributor Continental Film.