BANANAS!*

BANANAS!*, a documentary film directed by Fredrik Gertten, follows lawyer Juan "Accidentes" Dominguez through his biggest case. On behalf of twelve Nicaraguan banana workers, Dominguez takes on Dole Food Company for their use of the pesticide Nemagon, known by the company to cause sterility.

According to ScreenCrave.com, the workers won a $1.58 million settlement and "set a precedent for foreign workers to sue American companies." Though, the judge later overturned the settlement.

Following the screening of BANANAS!* at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June, Dole filed a civil lawsuit against Gertten, WG Film, and producer Margarete Jangård, claiming that the film defames Dole. Still, the piece screened at the Båstad Film Festival in Sweden earlier this month; there has since been an outpouring of support for the film and its director.

You can find out the latest about the controversy on the BANANAS!* news blog. Or read the timeline of events (which I found to be quite helpful in untangling this web of legal actions). Hopefully, BANANAS!* will show in the U.S. again...

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