On May 10, 2011, Oscilloscope Laboratories released Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten’s Bananas!*, a documentary about a ground-breaking 2007 legal battle waged against the Dole Food Corporation, on DVD
Focusing on a landmark and highly controversial legal case pitting a dozen Nicaragua banana plantation workers against Dole Food Corporation, Bananas!* uncovers the alleged usage of a banned pesticide and its probable link to generations of sterilized workers.
Central to both the film and case is Juan “Accidentes” Dominguez, a Los Angeles-based personal injury attorney who, although iconic within the Latino community for his ubiquitous billboard ads, is unquestionably facing the biggest case and challenge of his career. At stake in the classic David vs. Goliath story are the futures of generations of workers and their families, as well as the culture of global multi-national business.
Although Bananas!* was screened at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival with a disclaimer from the festival, filmmaker Gertten was subsequently sued for defamation by Dole. The lawsuit was dropped in October, 2009, and in November 2010 a Los Angeles court sentenced in favor of the movie crew, making it possible to release the movie in the U.S. and ordering Dole to pay approximately $200,000 to Gertten.
The DVD carries a list price of $29.99.
Bonus features include the following:
- “The Fight Goes On:” An interview with director Fredrik Gertten
- “Super Abocado:” Juan Dominguez’s television commercials
- “Pictures From a Banana Plantation:” A short film shot in Nicaragua
- Q&A with director Gertten at the Swedish premiere
- two archival educations films: About Bananas (1935) and Journey to Banana Land (1950)
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Buy or Rent Bananas!*
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