Genetic Matrix documents the final stages of Percy and Louise Schmeiser's six year legal battle with Monsanto over genetically engineered (GE) crops and issues related to biotechnology as a whole. The film portrays the compelling story of the Schmeisers, their course case, while presenting larger legal, political and environmental issues relating to GE crops and the patenting of life forms.
The film is largely told through the perspective of Percy Schmeiser, the canola farmer from Saskatchewan, as he proceeds to the Supreme Court of Canada in his landmark patent infringement case. It extensively documents "behind the scenes" activities of the Schmeisers, their legal team, and the interveners that co-represented them. Many of the world's top experts on corporate biotechnology are also included in the program including Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. David Suzuki, Ralph Nader, Maude Barlow and others.
This project was developed on a $5,000 cash budget and has been lauded as a prime example of how independent digital media can democratize the world through low cost sharing of information. The film has been screened in North America, Africa, Japan, Austrialia, Bangladesh and other parts of the world. It is an excellent primer video for the public, policymakers, scientists and farmers.
The film was Directed, Edited and Shot by Ian Mauro (2005)
Reviews:
"The Genetic Matrix is an easy-to-digest primer on one of the defining issues of our time: the privatization of life itself. It's a chorus of articulate critical voices, a glimpse into the life of a movement hero, and a great tool for popular education"
-Avi Lewis, THE TAKE
"This informative video is a work of passion and concern. It's testament to the human spirit, embodied in Percy and Louise Schmeiser whose heroic fight against Monsanto is but the opening volley in a war we ignore at our own peril. I am grateful to Ian Mauro and his team for taking on such a daunting, important and chilling topic"
- Mark Achbar, THE CORPORATION
