Wolfville, N.S. (October 20, 2014) – A successful Kickstarter campaign means the family behind The Path of Stone Soup will bring its authentic flare all the way from Oaxaca, Mexico to Wolfville, Nova Scotia for the fourth edition of Devour! The Food Film Fest. Combining cinematic talent with extraordinary culinary creations, Wolfville plays host to the world’s largest festival focused on food and film next month from November 12-16.
New Orleans filmmaker, Sarah Borealis will attend the festival, along with Don César Gachupin de Díos and his son, Victor Gachupin de Díos for the Canadian Premiere of the film.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have our film selected for screening at Devour! The Food Film Fest,” says Sarah Borealis, visual historian and documentary filmmaker. “This event presents the ideal opportunity for us to include an interactive ‘pop up’ to coincide with the screening of our film.”
Borealis had her first taste of stone soup while she was travelling in Mexican state of Oaxaca in 2010. This unique pre-Hispanic dish was lovingly prepared by the Gachupin family at their roadside diner. Traditionally made with organic herbs and freshwater seafood, the soup is cooked to perfection using red hot stones heated on an open fire. It was this experience that prompted Borealis to further investigate the soup’s origins. With the help from Don César Gachupin de Díos, the restaurant’s owner, and his family, the group began planning an audio-visual pilgrimage that would take them back to the roots of their delicious ancestral soup.
Directed by Arturo Juárez Aguilar, The Path of Stone Soup is a 24-minute documentary filmed entirely in Oaxaca, Mexico; a region known for its diverse representation of indigenous cultures and dialects. The Gachupin Velasco family is captured on film as they share the ritual of preparing stone soup – a symbolic and deeply-rooted tradition passed down for generations.
The Path of Stone Soup has been screened on four continents and in at least eight countries including South Africa, Portugal, India and Dominican Republic. At recent screenings in New Orleans and Mexico City, the filmmakers added a multi-sensory component to the film by organizing small-scale stone soup cooking demonstrations and tastings. The Devour! stone soup pop-up will be an extended version of these tastings, and will serve as a model for extending The Path of Stone Soup to international audiences in many more communities.
The journey from Mexico to Canada is long and financially taxing. Filmmakers decided to use the Kickstarter program to fundraise the $3,500 necessary to allow Borealis and the two members of the Gachupin family to make the trip. The 20-day campaign exceeded their target by $500. Borealis says the stone soup team has been overwhelmed by the level of community support.
“Our fundraising project is very community oriented,” says Borealis. “The folk tale of ‘stone soup’ exists in many different cultures globally, and bringing locals and visitors together to share a hot meal is always an integral part of our story.”
No matter how much work is necessary to make it to Wolfville, Borealis believes it is a journey worth taking due to the powerful message presented in their film.
“Our film is helping to unite local and global communities around such issues as indigenous cultures, culinary traditions and sustainable development,” says Borealis. “These issues are relevant to every member of the human race, and it has been our pleasure to offer valuable examples from the Chinantec community of Oaxaca to help begin, develop and prolong that dialogue.”
The Path of Stone Soup is slated to make its Devour! screening on Thursday, November 13, as part of the festival’s Food Ways program. Also screening as part of the program are short films One Minute in Mexico, Smoochie Sauce, Baklava, Rice and Cook It Raw Charleston.
Tickets to Food Ways are $12 and are available now through the Devour! website and Ticketpro. For more information on how to help The Path of Stone Soup fundraising initiatives, please visit their Kickstarter page.
ABOUT DEVOUR! THE FOOD FILM FEST
Devour! The Food Film Fest is an international festival celebrating cinema, food and wine culture. The five-day festival takes place in the culinary epicenter of Nova Scotia – the town of Wolfville, Kings County. The festival is a celebration of food on film, the culture of food and the dramatic impact it has on our day-to-day lives. The fourth edition of Devour! The Food Film Fest is slated for November 12-16, 2014.
ABOUT THE LOCATION
Only one hour from Halifax, the Town of Wolfville and Kings County provide the perfect setting for the festival. It is situated in a rich agricultural area and is also home to one of Canada’s top universities, a number of historic theatres and an assortment of unique local venues that are all within walking distance and are set against the beautiful landscapes of hills, valleys, rivers and the mighty Bay of Fundy.
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Media Contact:
Robyn McIsaac
robyn@devourfest.com
(902) 440-1551
