Both films [Food Evolution and Island Earth] were fun to watch. They both also get a lot of the facts right. But did either of the audiences leave the theaters with a more comprehensive take on GMOs?
…
The problem is, the very nature of documentary films demands a narrow storytelling lens, and both films left out key context that would have made for a fuller—and more accurate—depiction of GMOs. If only Island Earth could have applied some of the scientific rigor from Food Evolution, and Food Evolution could have considered the broader implications of the GMO industry. Or, as Nathanael Johnson, a reporter at Grist who appears in both films, put it to me: “There’s probably a world in which some master documentarian would find a way to fuse these two [films] into something that was really solid.”
Share this article
It may be an impossible task, but filmmakers eyeing the next generation of genetic technologies would do well to give audiences not only entertainment but also a story that captures more facets of their subject.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: When GMOs Are the Movie Star
