Still from Diversidad
Still from Diversidad
 

On Demand

Diversidad – A Road Trip to Deconstruct Dinner

by Stefan Verna & Jean-Marc Abela
Have you ever been young and wanted to save the world?
2012  ·  1h30m  ·  Canada
English
About the Film

Diversidad – A Road Trip to Deconstruct Dinner” is a documentary about a group of young Canadians who got on their bikes to raise awareness on the impacts of Word Trade Organization and industrial agriculture.

From the waterfronts of Vancouver to the mountaintops of Mexico, this journey lifts the veil of idealism. They discover the challenges and hardships of organic farmers. They see that for a lot of inner city families do not have access to fresh food, let alone the land to grow their own. They realize that their point of view of the plight of the undocumented farm worker isn’t quite what they had read about before they left home. And they begin to realize that perhaps this journey wasn’t so much about what they had to share with the world, but more about what they had to learn from the world.

Upon their return home, they are confronted by the reality of being part of the system they’re fighting against: can they practice what they preach?

Upcoming Screenings

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

Festivals and Awards
Salt Spring Film Festival, Salt Spring Island, BC, Official Selection
Nanaimo Film Festival, Nanaimo, BC, Official Selection
Editor
Adam Thompson and Jean-Marc Abela
Producer
Jean-Marc Abela and Stefan Verna
Sound Editor
Tyler Fitzmaurice
Soundtrack Composer
Matt Tomlinson
Animator
Eric Grice and Jean-Marc Abela
Film Related
About the Director

Jean-Marc Abela

A self-taught filmmaker with 12 years of experience, Jean-Marc focuses his energies in documentary productions. His first passion is cinematography to which he offers his services as a director/cinematographer.

He has completed two independent feature documentaries. In “Shugendô Now” he explores our relationship to nature through a Japanese tradition. In “Diversidad” he follows a group of young adults who embark on a journey to discover their relationship to the food they eat.

His niche is the creation of positive and heartfelt films that seek to share solutions to the fundamentals problems of our society. This comes from his conviction to play a part in the creation of a more ecological and just society.

Jean-Marc has travelled around the world with his camera and through his explorations in film discovered a second passion in Permaculture, a science of sustainable design through the study of nature. He is gaining more experience as an educator and facilitator, giving workshops in video making and the Permaculture design process. He practices the Chinese art of Qi Gong and has produced instructional Qi Gong DVDs for two of his teachers.
Past clients include BBC Worldwide, National Geographic, Discovery World HD, Madonna, Moment Factory, Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, Tourism Québec, TVA, Canal Évasion and more.

 

Stefan Verna

Stefan Verna
Stefan Verna

Stefan Verna graduated from Concordia University’s Film Production program. He has been active in the Montreal film community as a Director, DoP, and Scriptwriter. His creations cover many genres such as documentaries, dance films, music videos and fiction films.

Drawn to cinema via political activism and film journalism, Stefan Verna makes films to be agents of transformation around issues such as social justice, environmental issues and the plight of African communities around the world. His deep interest in Hip Hop Culture and dance has fueled the type of projects he has pursued. In 2017, he co-founded Black on Black Films, a film collective for Black filmmakers in Quebec.

His camera skills have taken him to Cuba, France, Haiti, Mexico, the USA, in Aboriginal and Inuit communities of Quebec. His images have been shown on various Canadian networks such as CBC Newsworld, Télé-Québec, APTN, Canal D, Bravo and Canal Évasion.

His previous films are: Broken Strings (1999), Ice Storm Cabaret (2000), Chocolate City (2003), Poetry in Motion (2004), Diversidad: a Roadtrip to Deconstruct Diner (2011), Drawing Blank (2012), MONtreal: Jazz Stories (2018). He is presently completing his second feature called NOMAD’S LAND: a documentary Rhyme, directing NIGHT WATCHES US at the NFB and in developing a TV series LA CLINIQUE for Radio-Canada.

 
Other films by Stefan Verna

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