Into the Weeds: Dewayne "Lee" Johnson vs Monsanto company

This documentary film by Jennifer Baichwal tells the story behind the Johnson v. Monsanto Co. lawsuit filed by Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, who sued the agrochemical corporation Monsanto for exposing him to the Roundup herbicide product that gave him cancer. Johnson's case was the first of thousands of lawsuits filed against the company and its herbicide glyphosate, which at one point was among the best-selling herbicides in the world. The film not only covers Johnson's story, but also exposes the greed of a large corporation that puts profit over people's health and manipulates scientific studies to its advantage. The film also serves as an environmental and humanistic call to action and avoids focusing solely on one specific court case.

“In telling Johnson’s story, Into the Weeds asks whether this kind of David versus Goliath fight can effect substantial and lasting change.”

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/episodes/into-the-weeds

Canadian documentary filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal (* 1965) originally studied theology and philosophy. Given that she wanted to tackle the issues raised by both these fields outside the constraints of a closed academic world, she began shooting her own documentaries. Among her most notable films include The Hiller It Gets (2000), Manufactured Landscapes (2006), Watermark (2013), and Anthropocene (2018).

Sélina Boye / Sphere Films International

Montreal / Canada

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