The Affected explores the historical and present day nightmare that is global agribusiness. By looking into devastating practices that have become business as usual we show the impact that this conduct has on our own lives and those of the workers who have become known as Los Afectados.
Journeying from US boardrooms to the farming regions of Nicaragua and other Latin American nations, The Affected explores the diverse realities of farm workers, plantation owners, politicians, union leaders and multinational corporate executives. Intimate conversations, historic insight and snapshots from every angle of the agricultural industry connect the viewer to this globally relevant issue. In an age where multi-nationals claim environmental and socially sustainable practices, this film aims to hold them accountable
The cost of business as usual
View the Trailer:
What We’re doing
My name is Jason Robert Glaser. I’m the director and producer of the The Affected: Beyond Republics and the film series that will follow it. Upcoming installments will deal with ‘green’ fuels, mining, and the drug trade and these industry’s effects on the people of Latin America as well as the cost to the Northern and Western consumer.
The current film deals with the history and current social cost of the banana industry. What we’ve uncoverd is not only a chilling history but a present and future which presents challenges that will take multilatteral efforts and creative thinking to overcome. The real goal of this blog is to bring together all of my efforts under one roof where people can question, read, learn, argue and be hooked up with more information about any of the issues presented on my websites, Facebook groups or articles. I want to enable and encourage people’s passions for the issues our film addresses.
The film’s website is a great place to become introduced to the difficult but surmountable challenges we face as both consumers and producers. It will be updated shortly to better reflect our wider vision. Even now it is an excellent site and fine source of material and links for those who want to learn more about the costs of global agribusiness as practiced today and what we can do about it. The film includes interviews with Noam Chomsky, Dan Koeppel, the affected workers, leading scientists, social activists and Steven Kinzer.
I went to Columbia College Chicago where I earned degrees in Cinematography and Photography and have been working on feature films, and TV ever since. In 2007 I became disillusioned with the biz and began work on “The Affected.” Soon after I started La Isla Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the victims, widows, and children that the film documents. After encountering a devastating epidemic of kidney failure among sugar cane workers in Nicaragua I decided that just making a film wasn’t enough. These men are dying as they harvest cane for ethanol for cars they’ll never afford. I’ve lead workshops in the region and in the USA on worker rights and am in the process of designing a series of workshops covering the dark side of the sugar, mining, banana and illegal drug industries that do so much to damage the people and environment of Latin America.
The team demonstrated our commitment to the region in September 2007 when we abandoned our shooting schedule and organized a independent and successful relief effort that saved lives on Nicaragua’s Miskito Coast after it was blindsided by hurricane Felix. The pics from that effort can be seen here.
The Blog
This Blog is going to keep people updated about our NGO’s efforts, the progress of the film (which is currently in post) and some of my own related observations. After having spent the better part of two years learning about atrocities I never wanted to know about and meeting people who are brave enough to take a stand against them I feel like I’m in a unique position to share stories that you’ll not often find in most media sources.
So, that’s a bit about me. If you want to get involved and help with either the film or the NGO you need only contact me: laislafoundation@gmail.com
If you’re on facebook you can check out our groups:
The Affected, a facebook group regarding our film, La Isla Foundation, a face book group with updates regarding our NGO, and Holding Holder Accountable, this group looks into some of the issues that may make Eric Holder a poor choice for our next Attorney General. And no, I’m not some neo-con, I just think we could have done better.
Koeppel’s Blog
For all things banana go to my friend Dan Koeppel’s site. He’s the author of “Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World”
I’ve also contributed to the Guardian UK, the commentary here deals with the issues surrounding Holder’s defense of the banana giant Chiquita. Read more about that here.
I hope you enjoy the blog. Our focus at the film and the NGO is on the workers, their families and by extension their environment. Secondly the focus is on what all this means to you, the consumer and therefore enabler of these crappy corporate practices.
Thanks,
Agent Glaser
UPCOMING BLOGS:
More about our Hurricane Relief effort
More about the Film and an update about where we are in the process.
More about the NGO and an update
A little catch up on how we got to this point in the first place
Some thoughts on a disturbing but important to an area of Colombia where massacres, often at the behest of the big banana companies, took place between 1997-2004.
