It all started pretty simply. Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, interested in food production in this country, cast their eyes on corn growing in Iowa. They head for Greene, Iowa, a town from which they both happen to descend. They lease an acre of land from a local farmer and plant their corn. They stay with their crop, all the while doing research into cattle feed lots, the production of high fructose corn syrup, the diabetes epidemic in this country and the ways in which agriculture reform in the seventies set us up for the farming situation that we currently face.
If you are interested in food production in America, King Corn is a film to see. It is honest and fairly free from schtick. It presents the issues clearly, gives the experts opportunities to talk and makes me want to steer clear of most commercial brands of foods (since everything seems to contain high fructose corn syrup these days).
The film opened in New York today and will be showing across the country throughout the fall. For all the dates and cities, click here. The YouTube trailer is inserted after the jump for those of you who'd like to give it a gander.
10-13-2007 @1:47AM Garrett Moon said... Sounds like the book The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan...
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10-13-2007 @2:57PM archbishop said... It also sounds a bit like Raising Less Corn, More Hell by George Pyle.
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10-15-2007 @3:27PM Adam said... I would really be interested in an honest review of this movie from a foodie like myself. I am home grown from Iowa and didn't think the trailer put a very good twist on corn production. Hope this doesn't turn into a "supersize-me-meets-fahrenheit-9/11" junk documentary.
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