The Weekly Pick

Our pick of the week is the new documentary King Corn, which premiered to rave reviews at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin this week. The movie is centered on two friends who decide to move to Iowa to grow an acre of corn — but King Corn is more than just a buddy flick. The film traces the modern history of corn growing in the United States and the real reasons why the American diet is made primarily of corn-based products (hint: think corn-fed meats, high fructose corn syrup, and agriculture policy). You can check out the filmakers’ website where you can order copies of the DVD and learn more about how government farm policy impacts the American diet. (Of course, you can also read our Issue page on policy for more information of subsidies and the Farm Bill.)

And…our second pick of the week is another movie about food – The Price of Sugar. This is a powerful film about modern-day slavery on sugar plantations in the Dominican Republic and the fight to bring justice to some of the poorest people in the world. Like King Corn, The Price of Sugar takes a common commodity that many Americans take for granted and traces the origins and the true costs of production. Check out the filmmakers’ website for more information.