I was fortunate enough to view the screening of Jeremy Seifert's new documentary, Dive!, during the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at East Carolina University earlier this week. The film chronicles Jeremy and a group of friends as they dumpster dive in the trash receptacles of Los Angeles area grocery stores for thousands of dollars of edible food that is thrown away each day. The premise that Jeremy fed his family (including a young son and pregnant wife) on the food he pulled from the dumpster is beyond disturbing, but somehow the young filmmaker made the film easy to watch, amusing and even hopeful.

His gentle approach to the tough questions of why America wastes so much food, prods you to listen and ask your own questions. Brilliantly he is making his way through college campuses in a sort of call-to-action and is getting the attention of all the "big dogs" that would not speak to him during the filming.

Dive! Trailer from Compeller on Vimeo.

 This is one film everyone must see. Seifert encourages that with small changes we could truly make a difference in the growing problem of hunger. And we don't have to "Eat Trash" to make it happen either. But I'm really glad Jeremy and his friends did. Check out www.divethefilm.com for screenings in your area.