Grades 10-12, College, Adult
Directed by Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young
Produced by Moving Images
DVD Purchase $79, Rent $45
US Release Date: 2002
Copyright Date: 2002
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-085-5
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-924-X
Subjects
Agriculture
Biotechnology
Business Practices
Central America/The Caribbean
Developing World
Environment
Environmental Justice
Ethics
Genetically Modified Foods
Genetics
Global Issues
Globalization
Human Rights
Humanities
India
Indigenous Peoples
International Trade
Latin American Studies
Science
Technology
Society
Social Justice
Awards and Festivals
Audience Choice Award, Best Short, East Lansing Film Festival
Nominated for Best Short Documentary, Environmental Media Association Awards
Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film & Video Festival
Honorable Mention, EarthVision Environmental Film Festival
Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Films
United Nations Association Film Festival, Stanford
Vermont International Film Festival
American Anthropological Association Film Festival
Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital
Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival
Barcelona International Festival of Environmental Films
Olympia Environmental Film Festival
Irvine Human Rights Festival
Northwest Film and Video Festival, Portland
Conscientious Projector Film Festival
Santa Cruz Film Festival
The Green Festival, Washington DC
Examines the disturbing new corporate practice of patenting life forms.
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"A thought-provoking look at an issue that affects us all." Alan Busacca, Professor of Agriculture, Washington State University |
Not for Sale is an engaging documentary that explores some little known aspects of global trade agreements like the WTO. Patents and other intellectual property rights are expanding what corporations can own and control -- from things like machines, to knowledge and even living creatures. What does this mean for the environment, our food supply, and human rights?
This film looks at farmers, indigenous people, and anti-globalization activists who oppose patents on life and advocate for a world where life is not a commodity but something to be treasured.
With beautiful footage from the headwaters of the Amazon, farms in Washington and Iowa, as well as India and Peru, plus glimpses of the Seattle WTO protests, Not for Sale brings this global issue into focus with stories of everyday people.
Also interviewed are Vandana Shiva, Anuradha Mittal of Food First, and Debra Harry of the Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism.
This is the third in an ongoing series of educational programs produced by Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young about the risks and benefits of the new biotechnology. The other two to date are Risky Business: Biotechnology and Agriculture and Gene Blues.
Other films by Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young are Net Loss, Another World is Possible, Islas Hermanas, Argentina: Hope in Hard Times, Argentina: Turning Around and Good Food.
Reviews
"A brilliant documentary that finally demonstrates the connection between biodiversity and cultural diversity, between resistance to globalization and social and environmental justice."
Devon Pena, Professor of Anthropology, Director of Ph.D. Program in Environmental Anthropology, University of Washington
"Does a great job in raising awareness regarding just how serious the economic and food security threat associated with genetically modified crops (GMOs) really is, especially from a corporate concentration and agribusiness power perspective...I recommend that this documentary be viewed by all the world's farmers."
Dan McGuire, Program Director, Farmer Choice - Customer First educational program, American Corn Growers Association.
"The future of food and medicine is in jeopardy. This film explains why."
Linda Setchell, Safe Foods Campaign
"Not for Sale tackles the serious issue of genetic patenting -- a practice which threatens entire cultures -- in a straightforward and sometimes playful way that makes this fundamental threat to the world's food supply easy to digest."
Matt Parish, Boston Independent Media Center
"Disturbing but liberating."
Francis Boyle, attorney, University of Illinois
"An important contribution to the discussion of genetics and society."
Paul Billings, M.D., GeneSage Inc.
"Not for Sale is a clear, comprehensive and honest look at the consequences of genetic engineering and patents on life -- on lives around the world."
Jill Rubin, Food and Safety Advocate, MASSPIRG
"Excellent production values...Half-hour length makes the program ideal for classroom viewing, with time left for discussion. Not for Sale is a thought provoking program that effectively demonstrates that genetically modified organisms are a global as well as local concern. Highly recommended."
Barb Bergman, Minnesota State University, Educational Media Reviews Online
"Not For Sale raises one of the most important questions of our time: 'who will control the food?' The film offers a sobering assessment through many voices that ultimately call for a globalization of citizen action that is in the end both empowering and essential."
Zoe Weil, Co-founder of the International Institute for Humane Education