The End Of Meat, a thought-provoking new documentary from German filmmaker Marc Pierschel not only has people talking, it has them imagining a world post-meat consumption.
The inspired film, which screened for a sold-out audience earlier this week in New York, is set to make its Los Angeles debut tonight. Tickets are still available and WAN teamed with Pierschel to offer 30% off for first 30 people in Los Angeles to use the code WAN30 HERE! A Toronto screening is scheduled for Sunday, September 2nd.
WAN also had the opportunity to speak exclusively with Pierschel prior to the screening.
“The main idea behind the film was to explore a different perspective and take a look at what is possible,” Pierschel told WAN. “While other documentaries have focused on problems, I wanted to turn it around and focus on the positive.”
In The End of Meat, Pierschel embarks on an adventure to discover what effect a post-meat world would have on the environment, the animals and ourselves. He meets Esther the Wonder Pig, who became an internet phenomenon; talks to pioneers leading the vegan movement in Germany; visits the first fully vegetarian city in India; witnesses rescued farm animals enjoying their newfound freedom; observes the future food innovators making meat and cheese without the animals, even harvesting “bacon” from the ocean, and much more.
“What was most surprising to me was the amount of bio-tech companies that are working on cultured meat, eggs, and other products that now can be made without hurting or killing innocent animals,” Pierschel explained to WAN.
The vegan filmmaker also shared that attending a vigil at Fearman’s Pork Inc.’s slaughterhouse in Toronto was among the most moving moments he experienced while filming.
“It was a new form of activism for me,” said Pierschel who was used to signing petitions and attending protests. “It was emotional and difficult to watch and participate in but I am glad we captured it in the film. It shows how impactful vigils can be in the fight to reach people at a visceral level, even more than protests.”
Pierschel shared that his first exposure to the travesty that is factory-farming was in 2001 after watching the documentary, Beraka, in which young chickens were heartlessly debeaked.
A vegetarian for four years prior to becoming vegan, Pierschel also credits punk rock music and its lyrics for also opening his ears, and subsequently eyes, to some of the horrors of industry.
The biggest take-away that Perschel wants people to leave with after watching The End Of Meat is “to have them view the world differently in the future; where a world without meat is positive not only benefiting us, but the environment.”
