Big Boys Gone Bananas!*
Short film Completed 2012
Director
Fredrik Gertten
Doc Society helped with
Production
Impact
Went to Good Pitch
Runtime: 88 minutes
Follow the film
In April 2009, Swedish filmmakers Fredrik Gertten and Margarete Jangård learned that the world premiere of BANANAS!* - their documentary about a lawsuit against the Dole Food Company - would take place at a major film festival in Los Angeles. Within weeks, they were embroiled in a legal and public-relations battle to save their premiere, their film, their reputations, and their freedom of speech. While censorship is, sadly, nothing new, its insidious power gains startling immediacy by playing out in front of Gertten's camera. The filmmakers find themselves painted as villains due to Dole's shrewd PR moves - even before their film has been screened. Gertten takes the offensive, filing a countersuit and media campaign of his own to confront Dole’s overgrown-schoolyard-bully tactics. As demonstrated over the past several months in actions held around the globe, corporations are being taken to task for their disproportionate political and financial influence. BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* is a telling case study of the power of individuals to fight back.
Outreach Work Supported
Partnership engagement around US distribution of the film.
Crew
Fredrik Gertten
Director
Fredrik Gertten, director of Big Boys Gone Bananas!* (2012) and Bananas!* (2009) is a Swedish director and journalist who founded WG Film in 1994. He worked as a foreign correspondent and columnist for radio, TV, and press in Africa, Latin America, Asia and around Europe. Gertten combines filmmaking with a role as a creative producer and is famous for local stories with a global understanding, with several films catching the identity and transformation of his hometown. His films have featured international stars like footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic and architect Santiago Calatrava, among others.
The Dole Food Company made his film Bananas!* controversial by suing the company, producer and director. The fight for the film and freedom of speech won international recognition. In Sweden Fredrik has been awarded with several prizes including the Anna Politkovskaya Freedom of Speech Award.
Compelling and often shocking.
Time Out
