Producers of “Tapped” Bottled Water Documentary Allege Nestle Trying to Limit Distribution
This statement from a Brookfield News Times interview with the makers of the bottled water documentary “Tapped” largely speaks for itself:
“A lot of major film festivals are sponsored by Nestle,” Soechtig said. “We were wondering why we weren’t getting into Cannes. We thought, is our film not good enough? Then we realized they have a hand in everything.”
Nestle asked the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute in Louisiana to not show the documentary, the Louisiana State University of Shreveport student newspaper, The Almagest, reported. The screening board denied Nestle’s request.
“I can’t help but think if they tried to pull us out of one town, Nestle has tried to pull us out of others,” Soechtig said.
The corporations have put pressure on commercial distributors, Walrath said, so he and Soechtig are distributing the film independently.
6 comments
Seems to me that the film makers are limiting distribution by only showing a festivals. Why not NetFlix, Redbox, youtube, etc? I don’t go to festivals, will I ever be able to watch it?
What I know about the movie industry could fit in a page the size of the Nestle Ethics Manual, but I think posting on YouTube and the like would tend to reduce their chances to get in film festivals.
Eventually, the movie will be available on DVD, on the services like Netflix, and probably in a few theaters. The trailer’s certainly compelling…
If you are trying to make money then yes, go the film festival route and build demand for your film. Get lots of trips to various festivals out of it. But shouldn’t something like exposing water issues call for a more urgent and widespread exposure? Guess if the film makers are going for money (and who doesnt need more money) then they are doing it the ‘right’ way.
I would bet that the film makers have a ton of cash invested in this movie. I also would bet that they would like to recoup some of that investment. If I had a business, I’d like to recoup, at least, what I had invested in that business, let alone make a profit!
Bob, have you thought about contacting the Tapped people to get the movie screened at a theater in your local area? Tapped is NOT just being shown at film festivals, but is being shown at movie houses and church basements. In Maine, local selectmen had a screening before a big water vote. Rather than just suggesting that the movie be on NetFlix, etc, why not arrange a showing in YOUR local area? Be proactive on this important issue
!
I do believe that Nestle is interfering with getting this film out, I have seen it happen in Maine and NH. It is a powerful indictment of the bottled water industry, and Nestle. Coke and Pepsi must be feeling threatened. I applaud the film makers, who took a risk to make this film. So I believe that it is our duty to help the producers get this film screened in every community and college campus possible. In Maine, the film has already had a positive effect on our movement. A local town official was so moved by the film that he rented it for a private showing for the select board in Wells, the community that just voted down a water extraction ordinance which would have opened the door to Nestle.
Please consider. visiting your local college campus to book a screening or your local UU church or speak to your indy cinema about showing it. Do they still exist outside of Maine? To screen the film in your community email katrina@atlasfilms.com
[...] to TC at StopNestleWaters for noting [...]
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