The Future of Food (2004)

TEASER


TRAILERS


The Future of Food - Morgon Spurlock (Trailer)
https://youtu.be/7KYVwightNU



The Future of Food Trailer Introduction
https://youtu.be/orHzcVCjsl4

ABOUT


The Future of Food has been a key tool in the American and international anti-GMO grassroots activist movements and played widely in the environmental and activist circuits since its release in 2004. The film is widely acknowledged for its role in educating voters and the subsequent success of passing Measure H in Mendocino County, California, one of the first local initiatives in the country to ban the planting of GMO crops. Indicative of its popularity, the Future of Food showed to a sold out audience of 1,500 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco in 2004, a benefit for Slow Food, where it was introduced by Alice Waters.

In September 2005, The Future of Food made a highly acclaimed national theatrical premiere at Film Forum in New York, followed by a tour of more than a dozen major American cities in the fall. Applauded by technology writers, food policy experts and environmental activists, the film has been shown around the world—from a plaza in Oaxaca, Mexico to the Jerusalem Cinematheque, and in citizen screenings all over the world—from India, Kenya, and Bulgaria to Brazil and Indonesia. It screened at a wide variety of professional gatherings, including the Midwestern Organic Farmers Convention, the Organic Trade Association 2005 trade show and conference in Chicago, and the American Dietetic Association convention. Columbia and New York Universities showed it to their students.

Throughout 2006, the film continued to be shown globally – to the public and at conferences, such as The Soil Association Convention in London and the Japanese Organic Farmer’s Convention. Garcia was the keynote speaker at the Nutrition and Health - State of the Science Conference put on by Dr. Andrew Weil and Columbia Medical School in New York City. The film had sold out premiers in Paris, Amsterdam and London and was screened in Turin, Italy for Slow Food’s “Terra Madre 2006,” a gathering of 5,000 farmers and food producers from around the world; and at the Conference on Women and Food Solidarity in Dehra Dun, India.

Since 2004 The Future of Food has been featured at numerous film festivals including The Margaret Mead Film Festival, The American Film Institute/ Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS Festival, The Slow Food Film Festival, and the New Zealand Film Festival. The film has won awards for “Best Doc” at deadCENTER Film Festival; audience awards at both the Ann Arbor Film Festival and the Ashland Independent Film Festival; and the “Human Rights Award” at the Taos Film Festival. It was chosen by the Oscar screening committee of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as one of the best documentaries of 2004. To date, The Future of Food has been translated into Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian and Japanese. An Educational Edition of The Future of Food with a year-long, university level curriculum by Professor Joshua Muldavin was released in Fall 2007.

In 2009, The Future of Food continues to be shown throughout the world at film festivals, in classrooms, and as part of environmental, farming and cultural events. The film continues to enjoy the support of a wide range of organizations—from the Organic Consumers Association, to the Soil Association of Britain, to Slow Food.

Genetic engineering of food crops is as controversial today as ever, as many of the large agro corporations that use this technology position themselves as the answer to the world food crisis and further consolidate the seed supply. The Future of Food continues to be a key tool used by activists and educators who call for increased attention to this issue.

http://www.thefutureoffood.com/



IMDB

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 for the past decade.

Storyline

THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. 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 about 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... Written by Anonymous

User Reviews

very watchable - but maybe I shouldn't have ordered that large popcorn
8 August 2005 | by scg-3 (Maine, USA) – See all my reviews
A very watchable documentary suitable for all ages. We took our 3 kids (as young as 6) and they all got something out of it, even tho the content was serious.

Shows effectively how we are losing diversity in the seed / gene pool; that agricultural ownership is being concentrated in fewer hands; and that large conglomerates (such as Monsanto) are aggressively pushing genetically modified seed and chemical herbicide, as well as driving the family farmer out of business.

Like you'd expect in something like this there's a sort of relentless one-sidedness, and some of the scientific explanations seem a bit superficial. But well worth the time & price of admission.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427276/


synopsis

Farming was once one of the most common professions in America, but now the growing of food for America's dinner tables is primarily in the hands of a small number of large agricultural corporations. With deregulations placing less federal scrutiny on how crops are grown, and an increasing number of "agri-business" firms introducing genetically modified vegetables and grains, some experts have begun to question just what we are eating, and how it got that way. At a time when some firms have started seeking patents for new strains of modified seeds and plants, will there come a day when the growing of certain essential foodstuffs will be controlled by private corporations who own a "copyright" on, say, wheat or tomatoes? The Future of Food is a documentary which focuses on growing concerns over how our crops are produced, and how science is altering the foods we eat.

http://www.allmovie.com/movie/v310769

WIKIPEDIA

The Future of Food is a 2004 American documentary film which makes an in-depth investigation into unlabelled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have made their way onto grocery stores in the United States for the past decade. In addition to the US there is a focus on Canada and Mexico.

It voices the opinions of farmers in disagreement with the food industry and details the impacts on their lives and livelihoods from this new technology, and shines a light on the market and political forces that are changing what people eat. The farmers are outraged that they are held legally responsible for their crops being invaded by "company-owned" genes. The film generally opposes any patenting of life, and particularly the destruction of traditional cultural practices.
The film decries the cost of a globalised food industry on human lives around the world, and highlights how international companies are gradually driving farmers off the land and into poverty and famine in many countries. Potential global dependence of the human race on a limited number of global food corporations is discussed, as is the increased risk of ecological disasters — such as the Irish potato famine (1845–1849) — resulting from the reduction of biological diversity due to the promotion of corporate-sponsored monoculture farming.

There are thousands of special local landrace varieties of corn growing in Mexico. These precious reservoirs, a library of thousands of years of human agriculture, are now being polluted by the invasion of subsidized US corn. There is a fear of major losses to local food systems -- and also that these gene banks will no longer be available to save global industrial agriculture when a new pest arises.

The issue of incorporating a terminator gene into plant seeds is questioned, with concern being expressed about the potential for a widespread catastrophe affecting the food supply, should such a gene contaminate other plants in the wild. Legal stories reported by the film related how a number of farmers in North America have been sued by the Monsanto Company; and the defendant of the Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser case is interviewed.

The film was written and directed by Deborah Koons Garcia, produced by Catherine Butler and Koons Garcia, and premiered on September 14, 2005 at Film Forum in New York City to a full house. It has since been released on DVD in both NTSC and PAL formats. The film is currently available for viewing on Netflix, and at Hulu.com where viewers can watch the film for free with a few advertisements placed throughout the film.
The main DVD contains two extra interview features, and there is a second DVD with a number of extras. The main feature can be viewed online for free at the official website, which also sells many versions of the DVD, for the US and International markets, for home viewing, public viewing, and educational use packaged with a college-level curriculum.

See also

Food, Inc.
Health food restaurants

External links
Official website

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Future_of_Food

SERBIAN SUBTITLE


Budućnost hrane
https://youtu.be/_NHrtIsbFTo


Revolucija u načinu rada na farmama i poljima kao i revolucija na stolovima Amerikanaca tema su ovog dokumentarca.

Dokumentarac istražuje uznemirujuće činjenice 'ispod stola', tj. činjenice koje ne vidimo, a koje su ključne za konačne proizvode koje konzumiramo. Pokriveno je područje od Kanade do Meksika i istražene su sve relevantne činjenice vezane za hranu - od planiranja zaliha, uzgoja, prikupljanja, do pakiranja i plasmana, pa sve do konačne konzumacije.

Farmeri govore svoja iskustva s novim tehnologijama koje su im poremetile dosadašnji način rada. Implikacije na zdravlje, vladini nameti i vladine naredbe kao i rastuća globalizacija razlog su sve glasnijih reakcija ljudi na GMO (Genetički modifikovani organizmi).

U dokumentarcu možete vidjeti kako je kompleksno tržište hrane odnosno koliki stupanj kontrole ima država putem multinacionalnih korporacija. Moguće je vidjeti i kakve su šanse proizvođača organske hrane u zapadnim "razvijenim" zemljama.

RESOURCES


Information on genetic engineering can be found online and in print form. Visit our Select Bibliography for important books recommended by the filmmaker of The Future of Food and court rulings related to genetic engineering. Updates to information presented in The Future of Food since it's release in 2004 are available on the Updates page. We have also started a Blog to post recent reports, petitions, campaigns and online articles on genetic engineering and sustainable agriculture.

Please note: These resources are available for people to further educate themselves about the issues dealt with in the film The Future of Food including genetically engineered foods, patenting, corporatization of agriculture, etc. We, the producers of The Future of Food, do not endorse every statement made by these websites. We hope readers will obtain more information and reach their own conclusions.


http://www.thefutureoffood.com/resources.html

SELECTED BIBLOGRAPHY


The following is a bibliography of major articles, research, and publications relevant to the issues discussed in
The Future of Food:

BOOKS

Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture
Kimbrell, Andrew
California: Island Press 2002.

Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies
About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating
Smith, Jeffrey M.
Fairfield IA: Yes! Books 2003.

Against the Grain: Biotechnology and the Corporate Takeover of Your Food
Lappé, Marc, Ph.D. & Bailey, Britt
Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press 1998.

Shattering: Food, Politics, and The Loss of Genetic Diversity
Fowler, Cary & Mooney, Pat
Tuscon, AZ: The University of Arizona Press 1990.

Lords of the Harvest: Biotech, Big Money, and The Future of Food
Charles, Daniel
Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing 2001


COURT DECISIONS

United State Supreme Court:

DIAMOND v. CHAKRABARTY, 447 U.S. 303 (1980)

State and District Courts:

Davis et al. v. County School Board of Prince Edward County,
103 F. Supp. 337, I Race Rel. L. Rep. 82

Griffin et al. v. County School Board of Prince Edward County et al. 337 US 218

Canadian Supreme Court:

Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser
Neutral citation: 2004 SCC 34. File No.: 29437. 2004: January 20; 2004: May 21


http://www.thefutureoffood.com/Selected%20Bibliography.html

UPDATES


Since the film's completion in 2004, many developments have happened - some present more challenges, other present small victories - in the fight to protect the future of our food. Below please find some updates to the information presented in The Future of Food. For ongoing updates about food, farming, agriculture, the environment and other issues related to genetic engineering, please see The Future of Food blog.

Please note: These resources are available for people to further educate themselves about the issues dealt with in the film The Future of Food including genetically engineered foods, patenting, corporatization of agriculture, etc. We, the producers of The Future of Food, do not endorse every statement made by these websites. We hope readers will obtain more information and reach their own conclusions.

PERCY SCHMEISER
In an out of court settlement finalized on March 19, 2008, Percy Schmeiser has settled his lawsuit with Monsanto. Monsanto has agreed to pay all the clean-up costs of the Roundup Ready canola that contaminated Schmeiser's fields. Also part of the agreement was that there was no gag-order on the settlement and that Monsanto could be sued again if further contamination occurred. Schmeiser believes this precedent setting agreement ensures that farmers will be entitled to reimbursement when their fields become contaminated with unwanted Roundup Ready canola or any other unwanted GMO plants

ORGANIC FARMERS AND SEED SELLERS SUE MONSANTO TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM
PATENTS ON GENETICALLY MODIFIED SEED
On behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations, the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed suit on March 29, 2011 against Monsanto Company to challenge the chemical giant's patents on genetically modified seed. The organic plaintiffs were forced to sue preemptively to protect themselves from being accused of patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto's genetically modified seed, something Monsanto has done to others in the past.

NEBRASKA INITITATIVE 300 and LB 1174
Nebraska enacted a ban on corporate farming known as Initiative 300. In 2007, the Nebraskan Supreme Court ruled this ban as unconstitutional. In April 2008, a piece of legislature called LB 1174 trying to reinstate the ban was also voted down.

PATENTING BREAST CANCER GENE
Patents on genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer are invalid, ruled a New York federal court. The precedent-setting ruling marks the first time a court has found patents on genes unlawful and calls into question the validity of patents now held on approximately 2,000 human genes. The ruling follows a lawsuit brought by a group of patients and scientists represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), a not-for-profit organization affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. (March 29, 2010)

ROUND UP READY ALFAFA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that it will once again allow unlimited, nation-wide commercial planting of Monsanto’s genetically-engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa, despite the many risks to organic and conventional farmers USDA acknowledged in its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). On a call with stakeholders, Secretary Vilsack reiterated the concerns surrounding purity and access to non-GE seed, yet the Agency’s decision still places the entire burden for preventing contamination on non-GE farmers, with no protections for food producers, consumers and exporters. (January 27, 2011)

ROUNDUP READY SUGAR BEETS(RRSB)
In February 2011, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a new decision to allow the U.S. sugar beet industry to continue growing Monsanto's "Roundup Ready," genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets. The decision will be immediately challen ged in court by a coalition of farmers and conservation groups: the Center for Food Safety, organic Seed Alliance, High Mowing Organic Seeds, and the Sierra Club. This is the same coalition that in August of last year had APHIS's previous decision to allow planting thrown out becuase it violated environmental laws. The calition declared the new decision unlawful as well, and vowed to overturn it.
ROUND UP READY LAWN GRASS - and perhaps more?
In July 2011, The USDA announced their decision not to regulate a "Roundup Ready" strain of Kentucky bluegrass—that is, a strain genetically engineered to withstand glyphosate, Monsanto's widely used herbicide, which we know as Roundup. The maker of the novel grass seed, Scotts Miracle Gro, is now free to sell it far and wide.But even more worrisome is the way this particular product was approved. According to Doug Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists' Food and Environment Program, the documents released by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) along with the announcement portend a major change in how the feds will deal with genetically modified crops. Notably, given the already-lax regulatory regime governing GMOs, APHIS seems to be ramping down oversight to the point where it is essentially meaningless. The new regime corresponding with the bluegrass announcement would "drastically weaken USDA’s regulation," Gurian-Sherman told Tom Philpott for Mother Jones Magazine."This is perhaps the most serious change in US regs for [genetically modified] crops for many years."
GE SALMON
Despite over 400,000 comments from individuals, fishers, organizations, and food companies opposing the introduction of GE salmon, FDA is expected to approve the GE AquAdvantage Atlantic salmon—the first genetically engineered animal meant for human consumption—any day now. Several Congress members are hard at work trying to stop this dangerous approval. The U.S. House of Representatives is debating amendments offered to the Continuing Resolution, a piece of legislation that will authorize funding for Federal programs of the U.S. Government through September 2011. Rep. Woolsey (D-CA) has introduced Amendment No. 491, which would bar the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from approving genetically engineered salmon in 2011.

GE BIOFUEL CORN
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that it will approve the world’s first genetically engineered (GE) crop designed specifically for biofuel production. The Center for Food Safety maintains that this GE “biofuels corn” will contaminate food-grade corn, and has not been properly assessed for potential adverse effects on human health, the environment, or farmers’ livelihoods. (February 11, 2011)

http://www.thefutureoffood.com/updates.html