THE GRAB
This explosive documentary tracks a years-long investigation into a shadowy international scramble to buy up food and water supplies, a covert land grab with dire humanitarian, ecological, and geopolitical consequences. Filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite (BLACKFISH) trails journalist Nate Halverson, who began his investigation in 2014 by looking into the Chinese acquisition of American pork giant Smithfield Foods. Halverson sees this pattern repeating globally, with wealthy nations attempting to bulwark themselves against food and water shortages by buying up land and resources in other (often less developed) countries. His investigation goes into overdrive with the acquisition of a bombshell cache of emails he refers to as “the trove,” which promises to reveal the hidden networks tying shady mercenaries to some of the world’s most influential figures. THE GRAB offers an alarming look at our world of ballooning population and dwindling natural resources, in which food and water are assets valuable enough to spark civil unrest and even prompt international conflicts. An exposé with the propulsive power of a thriller, it’s a disquieting but absolutely necessary wake up call for a world on the brink of catastrophe.
In Competition: Documentary Feature
PFS ON US is a free ticketing initiative that makes our programming available to all. Free tickets are available to the screening. Seating is first-come, first-served. Reservations do not guarantee admission.
All sales are final. Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.
CLICK HERE to return to the complete 31st Philadelphia Film Festival schedule.