The Global Banquet — Politics of Food

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Timely and provocative, this video examines how corporate globalization of food threatens the livelihoods of small farmers in the U.S. and in developing countries. We see how “free” trade is the route to mounting hunger worldwide despite an overabundance of food.

Released : 2000

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THE GLOBAL BANQUET, Politics of Food from Old Dog Documentaries on Vimeo.

The Global Banquet exposes globalization’s profoundly damaging effect on our food system in terms that are understandable to the non-specialist. It debunks several underlying myths about global hunger:

That hunger results from scarcity;
That small countries don’t know how to feed themselves; and
That only market-driven, chemically-based, industrial agriculture can feed the world.

This film reveals how agribusiness squeezes out small farmers and how trade liberalization undercuts subsistence farming—in the U.S. as well as in the developing world. It demonstrates how food security is linked to social development and how women, in particular, are affected by that. And it links factory farming and the alteration and patenting of life forms to degradation of the natural environment.

Through interviews with farmers, policy analysts, and international activists, The Global Banquet examines the ethical questions at the heart of the globalization debate. Beyond that, it shows how farmers, laborers, environmentalists, animal-rights activists, church groups, and students—worldwide—are mobilizing to address the situation.

Awards

James Goldstone Award for Excellence in Filmmaking (Vermont International Film Festival)
Cine Golden Eagle Award
U.S. International Film & Video Festival Award for Creative Excellence

Broadcasts

PBS, Link-TV, and cable stations in the U.S.

Screenings & Festivals