Films
30 Days: The Complete Series, starring Morgan Spurlock (2010)
From Acadamy Award Nominated SuperSize Me producer Morgan Spurlock comes this utterly unique and brilliant 6-disc collection of 18 epidodes. 30 Days follows the lives of ordinary people who agree to live outside their comfort zone for 30 days. In one episode, a former athlete tries to reverse the aging process by going on a controversial anti-aging regimen and is shocked by the impact it has upon his marriage, career, and well-being. In other episodes, Morgan Spurlock and his fiancée move to the Midwest to try to make ends meet while earning minimum wage; a hunter lives with a vegetarian animal rights-loving family; a devout Christian goes to live, share customs, and worship with a Muslim family in a largely Islamic community; and a homophobic young man goes to live and work in San Francisco’s largely gay Castro District. Eighteen episodes, all profoundly moving, inspiring, intelligent, and hugely entertaining. (TRT of all episodes 792 minutes)
Three years in the making, A Delicate Balance is a succinct production featuring candid interviews with some of the world’s leading experts (including mainstream researchers, doctors, nutritionists, cattle ranchers,environmentalists and politicians) from Harvard to Cornell to Tufts. Nominated for Best Unreleased Documentary by the Australian Film Critics Association, this film explores the effects of animal protein on the human body and the environment and will help you make more informed choices. (84 minutes) Order here.
Bad Seed: The Truth About Our Food, starring Jeffrey Smith and David Solnit (2006, updated 2011)
This video examines the genetic engineering of food from the perspectives of leading scientists, farmers, food safety advocates and the victims of genetically engineered products. It exposes a heinous scheme by large corporations with long criminal histories to gain control over the world’s food supply by infecting food crops with patented DNA. It also exposes Agro-Tech lies, corruption within the FDA, and the all-too-real risks to human health. (57 minutes)
Black Gold: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2007)
Multinational coffee companies dominate the industry worth over $80 billion, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil. But the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields, especially in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Tadesse Meskela is one man on a mission to save his 74,000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price. New York commodity traders, the international coffee exchanges, and the double dealings of trade ministers at the World Trade Organisation reveal the many challenges Tadesse faces in his quest for a long-term solution for his farmers. This film has won numerous awards, and was a Sundance Film Festival special selection. (74 minutes) Order here.
Cafeteria Man, starring Tony Geraci (2012)
Chronicles an ambitious effort to ‘green’ the public school diet serving 83,000 students in Baltimore. Leading the charge to serve locally-grown, freshly-prepared meals is Tony Geraci, food-service director for the city’s public schools. Geraci’s bold vision includes school vegetable gardens, student-designed meals, meatless Mondays, and nutrition education in the classroom. We meet parents, teachers, administrators, farmers, chefs, and dozens of creative and motivated students. The film traces efforts to make healthy, nutritious meals available to all the city’s students. (65 minutes) Order here.
Change Your Food, Change Your Life, starring Jill Ovnik (2005)
Former self-described fat girl and born-again vegan, who says she’s never felt healthier, Jill Ovnik presents the health facts of a plant-based diet in a concise, down-to earth manner. Next, go on location as Ovnik shops, plans weekly meals, orders off menus in restaurants, and prepares three easy vegan dishes from her kitchen. If you are a vegetarian who is ready to go the “next level,” if you are a meat eater who has thought about vegetarianism, or if you are a person with any health/weight problems, this DVD may, as the title suggests, change your life. (80 minutes)
An epic in length and breadth, this documentary aims at nothing less than a full-scale portrait of the most dominant institution on the planet Earth in our lifetime. Mixing dark humor with dramatic fact, this breathtaking documentary examines the immeasurable impact that big business has had on contemporary life. Through a presentation of company histories, boardroom secrets, and interviews with leading experts, a hilarious — and frightening — look at the machinations of the corporate world is revealed. (145 minutes)
Death on a Factory Farm, directed by Tom Simon and Sarah Teale (2009)
There’s a struggle being waged in the U.S. today – over how we treat the animals that end up on our dinner plates. More than ten billion animals are raised for consumption in the U.S. every year, most on industrialized “factory farms.” Virtually no federal laws mandate the humane treatment of farm animals. Because most state laws are weak and/or rarely enforced, animal-rights groups have turned to undercover investigators to help expose abuse on factory farms. This is the HBO documentary of one such investigator’s disturbing descent into a factory farm. Directors Tom Simon and Sarah Teale tell the story of an animal-rights investigator, “Pete,” who goes undercover on a factory hog farm to explore a whistle blower’s allegations. (87 minutes)
Dirt!, The Movie, narrated by Jaime Lee Curtis (2009)
Dirt!, The Movie brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact of soil. Dirt is the ultimate natural resource for all life on earth. Yet most humans ignore, abuse, and destroy our most precious living natural resource. The film offers a vision of a sustainable relationship between Humans and Dirt through profiles of the global visionaries who are determined to repair the damage we’ve done before it’s too late. There are many ways we can preserve the living skin of the earth for future generations. (80 minutes)
Food Fight, starring Alice Waters and Michael Pollan (2008)
Fascinating look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century and how the California food movement rebelled against Big Ag to launch the local organic food movement. Includes interviews with Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Marion Nestle, and more. (91 minutes)
Food, Inc., starring Eric Schlosser (2008)
This hugely popular film lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of the government’s regulatory agencies, the USDA and the FDA. America’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers, and the environment. Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation, and where we are going from here. (91 minutes)
Food Matters, directed by James Colquhoun (2009)
The filmmakers interview several leading experts in nutrition and natural healing who claim that not only are we harming our bodies with improper nutrition, but that the right kind of foods, supplements and detoxification can be used to treat chronic illnesses as fatal as terminally diagnosed cancer. Helps us rethink the belief systems fed to us by our modern medical and health care establishments. The interviewees point out that not every problem requires costly, major medical attention and reveal many alternative therapies that can be more effective, more economical, less harmful and less invasive than conventional medical treatments. (80 minutes)
Forks Over Knives, starring Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (2011)
This popular and provocative film follows the personal journeys of pioneering researchers Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Their startling conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented—and in many cases reversed—by adopting a whole-foods, plant-based diet. The filmmakers travel with Drs. Campbell and Esselstyn from their childhood farms where they both produced “nature’s perfect food” to China and Cleveland, where they explored ideas that challenged the established thinking and shook their own core beliefs. Cameras follow patients who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes as doctors teach them to adopt a whole-foods plant-based diet as the primary approach to treat their ailments. The challenges and triumphs of their journeys are revealed. (90 minutes)
The Future of Food, directed by Deborah Koons Garcia (2005)
The Future of Food offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled grocery store shelves. From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply. Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, The Future of Food examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world’s food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis. (88 minutes)
The Garden, featuring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, and Antonio Villaraigosa (2008)
Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary in 2008, The Garden has been hailed by critics as the most astute and powerful political film of the year. Filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy brilliantly captures, in a series of explosive and wrenching turn of events, the ways greedy developers, inept politicians and self-serving community leaders can run rough shod over the lives of working class families fighting to save the 14-acre urban farm that has become the very source of survival. Equal parts The Wire & Harlan County, USA, The Garden exposes the fault lines in American society and raises crucial and challenging questions about liberty, equality, and justice for the poorest and most vulnerable among us. As the battle lines were drawn between this group of low-income families struggling to protect a 14-acre urban farm against a backdrop of grey and hardened skyscrapers, their cause became an international sensation that drew the attention of numerous notable activists and politicians, including Dennis Kucinich, Joan Baez, Danny Glover, and Willie Nelson. (80 minutes)
Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives, by Jeffrey Smith, narrated by Lisa Oz (2012)
Are you and your family on the wrong side of a bet? When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health of all living things and all future generations were put at risk by an infant technology. After two decades, physicians and scientists have uncovered a grave trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves. This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future. (85 minutes)
The GMO Film Project (in progress)
THE GMO FILM PROJECT (still in production) tells the story of a father’s discovery of GMOs through the symbolic act of poor Haitian farmers burning seeds in defiance of Monsanto’s gift of 475 tons of hybrid corn and vegetable seeds to Haiti shortly after the devastating earthquake of January 2010. After a journey to Haiti to learn why hungry farmers would burn seeds, the real awakening of what has happened to our food in the US, what we are feeding our families, and what is at stake for the global food supply unfolds in a trip across the United States and other countries in search of answers. Find out more and watch the trailer here. More info here.
In Organic We Trust, produced by Kip Pastor (2012)
An eye-opening food documentary that answers questions about organic food: What exactly is organic? Is it really better, or just a marketing scam? The film digs deep with farmers, organic certifiers, scientists, and critics to look beneath the label and find the truth behind the marketing. What began as a grassroots movement of small-scale farmers has turned into a $30 billion industry, as small diversified organic farms have been replaced by large corporate operations and the “certified organic” label has become a marketing tool. The film reveals that in spite of the corporatization of organic, the original grassroots philosophy is making a comeback in many innovative forms. (82 minutes) Order here.
King Corn, directed by Aaron Woolf (2007)
Engrossing and eye-opening, King Corn is a fun and crusading journey into the digestive tract of our fast food nation where one ultra-industrial, pesticide-laden, heavily-subsidized commodity dominates the food pyramid from top to bottom – corn. Fueled by curiosity and a dash of naivet‚, college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis return to their ancestral home of Greene, Iowa to figure out how a modest kernel conquered America. With the help of some real farmers, oodles of fertilizer and government aid, and some genetically modified seeds, the friends manage to grow one acre of corn. Along the way, they unlock the hilarious absurdities and scary but hidden truths about America’s modern food system. (88 minutes)
Meat the Truth, presented by Marianne Thieme (2008)
A high-profile documentary about meat and climate change, Meat the Truth demonstrates that livestock farming generates more greenhouse gas emissions worldwide than all cars, trucks, trains, boats and planes put together. (72 minutes)
McDonald’s sued gardener Helen Steel and postman Dave Morris for speaking out. In the longest trial in English legal history, the “McLibel Two” represented themselves against McDonald’s £10 million legal team. Every aspect of the corporation’s business was cross-examined: from junk food and McJobs, to animal cruelty, environmental damage and advertising to children. The verdict took everyone by surprise – especially the British Government. McLibel is not just about hamburgers. It is about the importance of freedom of speech now that multinational corporations are more powerful than many countries. Filmed over ten years, McLibel is the David and Goliath story of two people who refused to say sorry. (81 minutes)
PLANEAT is the story of three men’s life-long search for a diet which is good for our health, good for the environment and good for the future of the planet. With an additional cast of pioneering chefs and some of the best cooking you have ever seen, the scientists and doctors in the film present a convincing case for the West to re-examine its love affair with meat and dairy. The film features the ground-breaking work of Dr. T Colin Campbell in China exploring the link between diet and disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s use of diet to treat heart disease patients, and Professor Gidon Eshel’s investigations into how our food choices impact our land, oceans and atmosphere. With the help of some innovative farmers and chefs, PLANEAT shows how the problems we face today can be solved. (71 minutes)
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2009)
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba’s economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half – and food by 80 percent – people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. The film opens with a short history of Peak Oil, a term for the time in our history when world oil production will reach its all-time peak and begin to decline forever. Cuba, the only country that has faced such a crisis – the massive reduction of fossil fuels – is an example of options and hope. (53 minutes)
Processed People, directed by Jeff Nelson (2010)
Two hundred million Americans are overweight. More than 75 million Americans have high blood pressure. 24 million are diabetic. Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death for men and women, followed by stroke and obesity-related cancers. Obesity is about to overtake tobacco as the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths in the United States. 60% of bankruptcies are caused by what has become known as “medical debt.” Fast food, fast medicine, fast news and fast lives have turned many Americans into a sick, uninformed, indebted, “processed” people. Processed People features insightful interviews from nine preeminent health and environmental experts/advocates, who discuss how and why Americans got into this mess and what we can do to break the cycle. (40 minutes)
A profound, alternative look at the bee crisis from Taggart Siegel. Taking us on a journey through the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive, this alarming and ultimately uplifting film weaves together a story of the heart-felt struggles of beekeepers, scientists and philosophers from around the world. This spellbinding film explores the long-term causes that have led to one of our most urgent global food crises and reveals the problems and solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature. (82 minutes)
Super Size Me, by Morgan Spurlock (2004)
What would happen if you ate nothing but fast food for an entire month? Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock does just that and embarks on the most perilous journey of his life. The rules? For 30 days he can’t eat or drink anything that isn’t on McDonald’s menu; he must wolf three squares a day; he must consume everything on the menu at least once and supersize his meal if asked. Spurlock treks across the country interviewing a host of experts on fast food and an equal number of regular folk while chowing down at the Golden Arches. Spurlock’s grueling drive-through diet spirals him into a physical and emotional metamorphosis that will make you think twice about picking up another Big Mac. Nominated for an Oscar and winner of many awards, Super Size Me is a landmark film in the world of food. (96 minutes)
The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2006)
An epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer, this critically acclaimed documentary follows the colorful John Peterson, a farmer, artist, and innovative thinker in rural Illinois who has struggled to redefine his family farm for over twenty years. John turns his traditional family farm into an experiment of art and agriculture, making it a haven for hippies, radicals, and artists. The film charts the end of this idealistic era as the farm crisis of the 1980s brings about the tragic collapse of the farm. After much soul-searching, and in defiance of all odds, Farmer John gradually transforms his land into a revolutionary farming community and one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the United States. (83 minutes)
The Story of Stuff, by Annie Leonard (2007)
When Annie Leonard and her friends at Free Range Studios set out in 2007 to share what she’d learned about the way we make, use and throw away Stuff, they thought 50,000 views would be a good result for her ‘20-minute cartoon about trash.’ Today, with over 15 million views and counting, The Story of Stuff is one of the most watched environmental-themed online movies of all time. (20 minutes) View here.
The True Cost of Food, from The Sierra Club (2011)
A campaign to promote sustainable food choices from the Sierra Club National Sustainable Consumption Committee. We, the consumers, through our food choices, can stop the practices that harm our health, our planet, and our quality of life. The True Cost of Food is a free 15-minute educational and entertaining film about sustainable food. View here.
Colony Collapse Disorder has brought beekeepers to crisis. Commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our tables. Vanishing of the Bees follows commercial beekeepers David Hackenberg and Dave Mendes as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. The film explores the struggles they face as the two friends plead their case on Capital Hill and travel across the Pacific Ocean in the quest to protect their honeybees. Filming across the US, in Europe, Australia and Asia, this documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and planet Earth. (90 minutes)
The Witness, produced by James LaVeck (2000)
How does a construction contractor from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood become an impassioned animal advocate? In the award-winning documentary The Witness, Eddie Lama explains how he feared and avoided animals for most of his life, until the love of a kitten opened his heart, inspiring him to rescue abandoned animals and bring his message of compassion to the streets of New York. With humor and sincerity, Eddie tells the story of his remarkable change in consciousness. (43 minutes)
The World According to Monsanto, directed by Marie-Monique Robin (2009)
Monsanto’s controversial past combines some of the most toxic products ever sold with misleading reports, pressure tactics, collusion, and attempted corruption. They now race to genetically engineer (and patent) the world s food supply, which profoundly threatens our health, environment, and economy. Combining secret documents with first-hand accounts by victims, scientists, and politicians, this widely praised film exposes why Monsanto has become the world’s poster child for malignant corporate influence in government and technology. The World According to Monsanto draws on first-hand interviews with scientists, representatives of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency, civil society representatives, victims of the company’s activities, lawyers, and politicians. (109 minutes)
One Response to Films
Leave a Reply
[...] wound up back on the Food Revolution Summit’s webpage. Serendipitously stumbling onto the film resources page and then having the opportunity to watch “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”, I got thinking [...]