BANANAS!*

During the first weekend of August, BANANAS!* was screened for the first time in Sweden at Båstad Film Festival. “The reactions are very strong, the response is great and the discussions are intense”, Gertten said to Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan.

In the Sydsvenskan article, several internationally acclaimed documentary filmmakers expressed their support to director Fredrik Gertten and BANANAS!*.

British filmmaker Kim Longinotto wrote in an email to Sydsvenskan: “I hope they don’t succeed in silencing [Gertten]. These large companies are accustomed to getting their will through. Therefore, it’s inspiring for the rest of us when someone dares to stand up and question their actions. /…/ The fact that a powerful multinational corporation is trying to discourage the filmmaker illustrates the power of this film. Fredrik has scared them.” (Our translation).

Austrian filmmaker Hubert Sauper, familiar to similar controversy following his Academy Award nominated film “Darwin’s nightmare”, also expressed his support and were quoted writing: “We must organize ourselves as filmmakers. /…/ I would use this opportunity to turn Dole’s actions against them. I believe that the public are informed enough to see through their way of dealing with criticism. /…/ Even though I havn’t seen [Gertten’s] film, I support him morally.” (Our translation).

Another filmmaker, American Robert Kenner, is currently attracting a lot of attention in the U.S with his film “Food Inc.” which takes a close look at the American food industry.

“What is happening with Fredrik Gertten and his film is a major concern. /../ When I started making ‘Food Inc.’, I had no idea how far corporations were willing to go to prevent the public from finding out where our food comes from. It’s alarming how much power they have to keep us uninformed. When transparency is lost, we are all in danger”, Kenner wrote to Sydsvenskan (our translation).

• Read the original Sydsvenskan article (in Swedish) »
• Sydsvenskan article translated by Google translate »