Disposable society focus of film fest

The numbers are staggering.

Every year, Americans discard 96 billion pounds of food. That's 263 million pounds a day or 11 million pounds an hour. Most in a disposable society suffer for it, but some survive on it.

That's the claim -- and the point of attack -- of filmmaker Jeremy Seifert's "Dive: Living off America's Waste," which will screen at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Carmike Cinema at Broadway at the Beach.

The documentary serves to "prime the pump" for the sixth annual Myrtle Beach International Film Festival, which will be held April 19-23.

"We decided to have this primer -- not premiere -- for several reasons," says festival director Jerry Dalton, president of Dalton Pictures. " 'Dive' isn't about stereotypical 'Dumpster divers.' These people have jobs, families and live pretty much a normal American life except for the fact that they get much of their food from the throwaways of the grocery stores.

"When we received this film, right away a fellow judge (Shelyn Mosseri Lee) and I knew that this is what we have been looking for, the cause or charity that the festival needed to be involved in."

Dalton says Myrtle Beach has endured the same economic pressures as other American cities, which lent a showing of the film added heft.

"And Myrtle Beach, being a service industry area, has a large number of what the census would classify as 'working poor.' ... Many times, these people and their children go somewhat hungry, or at best do not have the proper amount of food or a healthy diet. I have no idea how much food is thrown away in Myrtle Beach, but I can imagine it is a tremendous amount."

While complicated by logistical challenges and available resources, Dalton says he is involved with a group working on a solution.

"Myrtle Beach houses the (nonprofit) Community Kitchen, which feeds many people and does a tremendous job, and they are a lifeline for many in the Myrtle Beach area. We are looking at something a little different.

"This year, the Coastal Carolina Realtors Association has teamed up with the Myrtle Beach International Film Festival to help support several charities along the Grand Strand. We will soon have all-access passes for the MBIFF, and a portion of the ticket price will go towards these charities."

Accompanying "Dive" will be a festival preview on video featuring several shorts, including "Regular Kids" and "A Fist Full of Snow."

For tickets, e-mail info@mbiff.com or call 497-0220. For information, visit myrtlebeachfilmfestival.com.