‘Into the Weeds’ Director on Revealing the Effects of Weed-Killer on Human Health and the Environment
variety.comJennie Punter The Hot Docs Canadian Intl. Documentary Festival marked its long-awaited return to cinemas last night, opening its 29th edition in the historic Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema with the world premiere of Canadian filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal’s “Into the Weeds: Dewayne ‘Lee’ Johnson vs.
Monsanto Company.” Sphere Films (formerly WaZabi Films) has worldwide sales rights (excluding Canada) and will be selling the film at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.Johnson, a former school groundskeeper, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014, and became the first plaintiff and also the public face of a mass tort against the agrochemical corporation that manufactures the common weed-killer Roundup, which contains an active ingredient called glyphosate—a non-selective herbicide used in forestry, agriculture and backyards.
While tracing his story, the film expands its scope to examine this common product’s impact on human health and the environment, and the global repercussions of the trial, through interviews with plaintiffs and data experts, verité scenes, and often-riveting trial footage of attorney R.
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