Environment Texas Blog

See the film that will change the way you eat! King Corn, a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the crop that created the fast-food nation, is having its world premiere next weekend at SXSW. The film follows recent college graduates Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis as they attempt to learn where food comes from -- by growing it. The young city-slickers leave the east coast for Iowa to plant and grow 10,000 pounds of genetically-modified, government-subsidized corn. But when they attempt to follow their harvest into the food system, what the find is stomach-turning: giant cattle feedlots where animals get sick on a high-corn diet, and a fast-food nation where high fructose corn syrup is fueling an epidemic of diabetes. By the end of their journey, Ian and Curt find themselves in a nursing home in Indiana, confronting Earl Butz, the 96-year-old Secretary of Agriculture who made it his mission to make corn cheap, and fast food plentiful. King Corn is screening on Sunday March 11 at 7pm, and Monday March 12 at 2pm. Both screenings are at the Alamo Lamar Theater. Following Sunday night's screening, The WoWz, the New York folk/punk trio that made the King Corn soundtrack, will be playing a free show at The Green Mesquite. Individual tickets to the screenings are available at the door; festival passes are available at Waterloo Video. More information and a trailer is online at www.sxsw.com.