The Grab | |
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Directed by | Gabriela Cowperthwaite |
Produced by |
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Cinematography | Jonathan Ingalls |
Edited by | Davis Coombe |
Music by | Jeff Beal |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Grab is a 2022 American documentary film directed and produced by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. It follows investigative journalists at The Center for Investigative Reporting as they uncover efforts to control vital resources on earth.
It had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2022, and is scheduled to be released on June 14, 2024, by Magnolia Pictures and Participant.
It follows investigative journalists at The Center for Investigative Reporting as they uncover efforts to control Food and water by foreign actors in detriment of local population.[2][3]
The film tries to outline a global warming reaction by several nation states, where the powerful uses force, economy, and illegal mercenaries to take control of food and water stocks. The narrative begins with the 2014 purchase of US based Smithfield Foods by Chinese WH Group, which the filmmakers say give control of 1/4 of all pigs in the US away. It then follows other difficult to explain deals, such as the purchase of arid land in Arizona by a Saudi company. Russians hiring American cowboys to work on a region too cold for farmland. And Blackwater_(company) deals to secure land in Africa. All those strange deals are linked by "following the money" as is said several times on the film, which raises connections between governments, commercial enterprises and legal and illegal military actors such as mercenaries companies. The filmmakers ultimately draws a conclusion of it all being part of plans taking in account changes happening because of global warming.[3][4]
While the film is mostly archive and research image collages, it also contains some guerrilla filmmaking about the crew being denied access, for example on their detention at a Zambian airport.[4]
Gabriela Cowperthwaite spent six years working on the film, after journalist Nathan Halverson reported on Smithfield Foods.[5][6][7] Cowperthwaite was initially asked if the investigative process behind Halverson's articles would make a good film.[8] Due to the sensitive material of the subject[clarification needed], the production team did diagnostics on computers, not talking in rooms with windows, and not talking about the film at all.[9] They also used encrypted servers and hand-delivered all footage.[10]
The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2022.[11] It also screened at DOC NYC on November 13, 2022.[12] In March 2024, Magnolia Pictures and Participant acquired distribution rights to the film, and set it for a June 14, 2024, release.[13]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.30/10.[14] The film won the Best Documentary award at the San Diego International Film Festival.[15]