The Grab
Acclaimed documentarian Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish) follows the money and uncovers the alarming, horrible truth of power-hungry private investors across the globe conspiring to hoard and control the world’s food and water supply.
Subject/Producer Nate Halverson scheduled to attend.
Food and water are vital commodities. There would be more than enough to go around if we all worked together and looked out for one another. Unfortunately, control of our natural resources in the never-ending quest for power has been a long-standing tradition among the more egregiously ambitious of humans. In this gripping documentary from Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish), our eyes are opened to dizzying examples of such greed and the frightening repercussions they might mean for the future of humanity. Cowperthwaite follows investigative journalist Nate Halverson as he uncovers state-sponsored land grabs from all over the world, wherein countries buy up land to drain it of resources. Such depletion inevitably leads to food and water scarcity, disproportionately affecting the poorest among us. Food insecurity is a global crisis, and a fair portion of the blame can reasonably fall upon the seemingly invisible shoulders of the culprits at the center of Halverson's investigation. But as layer upon layer of research is revealed, it becomes clear that holding anybody to account might be too monumental a task, since the problem has become far too vast. Will this documentary make you angry? Almost certainly. But the way the narrative unfolds is also thrilling to behold. Once The Grab is over, you might have to pick your jaw up off the floor before exiting the theater and, upon stepping back into the world, reflect upon what you can do to be part of the solution.
—Trevor Brandt
- Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
- Principal Cast: Nathan Halverson, Emma Schwartz, Mallory Newman, Brigadier Siachitema, Holly Irwin
- Country: USA
- Year: 2022
- Running Time: 104 min.
- Producer: Nathan Halverson, Amanda Pike, Blye Pagon Faust, Nicole Rocklin, Gabriela Cowperthwaite
- Screenplay: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
- Cinematographers: Jonathan Ingalls
- Editors: Davis Coombe
- Music: Jeff Beal
- Website: Official Film Website
- Awards: Sedona Film Festival (Best Investigative Documentary), Mill Valley Film Festival (Audience Award)
- Filmography: Our Friend (2019), Megan Leavey (2017), Blackfish (2013), City Lax: An Urban Lacrosse Story (2010)
- Language: English, Russian, Ukrainian
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- International Sales: WME Independent