The way we farm has changed significantly from the idea that has been planted (no pun intended) in our minds. More often than not, the soil, seeds, and plants are as much a technological invention as any machine, and that comes with all sorts of intellectual property rights and other legal nonsense we don’t want to think about when it comes to food. But those court battles matter, as seen in the trailer for Percy Vs. Goliath, about one farmer’s fight against the corporate giant Monsanto.
Starring Christopher Walken as Percy Schmeiser, the film centers on the aging small-town farmer as he is targeted by multinational agrochemical company Monsanto, who accuse him of using their lab-created seeds for his crops, and they expect payment. The protracted legal battle was key in establishing farmers’ rights, the regulation of transgenic crops, and bringing attention to genetically engineered food.
Also in the cast are Zach Braff (this seems like a movie he would’ve directed, honestly), Christina Ricci, Luke Kirby, Adam Beach, and Martin Donovan. Behind the camera is veteran actor/director Clark Johnson, best-known for directing S.W.A.T., The Sentinel, and episodes of The Wire. To me he’ll always be Detective Meldrick Lewis on Homicide: Life On the Street.
Percy Vs. Goliath opens in theaters and VOD on April 30th.
Academy Award® Winner Christopher Walken*, Zach Braff and Christina Ricci star in the true story of a small-town farmer taking on one of the largest agricultural and food manufacturing corporations. Percy Schmeiser (Walken), a third-generation farmer, is sued by a corporate giant for allegedly using their patented seeds. With little resources to fight the giant legal battle, Percy joins forces with up-and-coming attorney Jackson Weaver (Braff) and environmental activist Rebecca Salcau (Ricci) to fight one of the most monumental cases all the way up to the Supreme Court.
