Press

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Quotes

Bitter Seeds
China Blue
Store Wars
Other

“Peled successfully contextualizes this story globally, but the strong individual voice of Manjusha is what makes the film both memorable and more valuable.” – DAILY CALIFORNIAN

The documentary is among the most subtle and artful condemnations of the food industry’s Darth Vader… The end result is an indictment of the agricultural biotech industry tightly wrapped within a gripping character-based narrative. — FILMMAKER MAGAZINE

Better than a Batman movie… with real villains making up their own lines. —Peter Sellars

Emotional, gripping doc. —VARIETY

A heartbreaking and meticulous documentary about life inside a blue-jeans factory in China… the film develops a natural dramatic structure that’s profoundly affecting. Mr. Peled doesn’t just record the girls’ indignities, he listens to their dreams. –Jeanette Catsoulis, THE NEW YORK TIMES

The most heartbreaking, moving film in theaters right now is not “Babel,” “Letters From Iwo Jima” or “Little Children.” It is China Blue… This is an unforgettable film. –Allen Johnson, THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

The tacit fury of China Blue. –Richard Corliss, TIME MAGAZINE

This excellent program offers an engaging rendering of a placid community enlivened by political action… The filmmaker Micha Peled follows a tradition of social-minded documentarians, dutifully presenting all sides, including Wal-mart’s, though his heart is clearly with the protesters… Mr. Peled’s persistence is rewarded by actual drama. –Julie Salamon, THE NEW YORK TIMES

“When I discussed terms [in 2006] with a distributor who wanted to take China Bluetheatrically in the U.S.,” documentary maker Micha Peled recalls, “I said, ‘In San Francisco, you must hire Karen Larsen for the publicity.’ It was included in the contract, right below the P&A [prints and advertising] commitment. Someone called me last week about Bitter Seeds [which premiered last month at Telluride] and I said, ‘Of course, I insist on the Karen Larsen clause.’

“I started my film career as a volunteer assistant for Karen at SFIFF,” Peled reminisces. “The office then was in Laurel Village on California Street. My job was to photocopy press kits for the journalists. It was during those hours babysitting the copy machine that I made up my mind: One day some other schnook will be doing this to promote my film!” —Michael Fox, 10/31/11 SF360

Bitter Seeds in Daily Californian

… Peled successfully contextualizes this story globally, but the strong individual voice of Manjusha is what makes the film both memorable and more valuable…

Bitter Seeds in Filmmaker Magazine

…The documentary, directed by Micha X. Peled, traces Monsanto’s sizable footprint on an agrarian community in central India. The film has been traveling the festival circuit since last year…

Bitter Seeds in Desert Sun

Director and social activist Micha X. Peled says Indian farmers commit suicide once every 30 minutes.

Peled, an Israel native who was executive director of the San Francisco media watchdog group, Media Alliance, examines the problem in his documentary, “Bitter Seeds,” which pits an Indian high school journalism student against the multi-national Monsanto biogenetics company…more

Bitter Seeds in Variety

Rounding out his “Globalization Trilogy” with another affecting, character-driven portrait designed to indict corporate opportunism, Micha X. Peled exposes the issues underlying a rash of farmer suicides in “Bitter Seeds.” Focusing on a small agrarian community in central India… more

Bitter Seeds in LA Times

…Earth is also a star in fictional features ‘The Descendants,’ ‘The Forgiveness of Blood’ and documentaries ‘The Island President,’ ‘Bitter Seeds’… more