By Antora Majumdar and Keno Katsuda

“If you add water to a food product, you must add ‘water’ to the food label. But if you add insecticide [to food] through genetic engineering, you need not label.”

So states one of the subjects of Aube Giroux’s award-winning documentary “Modified.” Despite being labelled in 64 countries around the world, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labelled in the United States or Canada. Through this documentary, Giroux questions where our food comes from through a political and a uniquely personal take on the subject. During the film’s shoot, Giroux’s mother was battling cancer. As a food activist, her mother’s passion thereby fueled Giroux’s interest in exposing the relationships between corporations and governments — and how they work to deceive consumers into ingesting unknown chemicals.

From an early age, Giroux was exposed to the importance of quality ingredients. Her mother was an avid gardener, and often the family meals would be a mashup of elements found in their backyard. Giroux credits her upbringing and her mother’s enthusiasm for cooking as the spark for her own food obsession, which she channeled into her blog, Kitchen Vignettes, which eventually became a series on PBS Food. Created in 2011, Giroux uses the medium to not only experiment and share foods she loves, but also as a means to feature their origin story, including information about the local farms and gardens where she finds her ingredients. Giroux applies this same storytelling approach in “Modified,” following a trail of ingredients back to the source to find out more about how they came to be, and why the culture surrounding their consumption is so opaque.

Filmed over nine years, “Modified” features a collection of experts in a variety of fields, from geneticists to farmers, and even animal behavior experts like Jane Goodall. One of the central discussions the film engages with is why countries like Canada and the United States are so against putting these kinds of labels on food, despite growing support from citizens. Something that caught Giroux’s attention after having lived in Europe for two years, where all GMO foods must have a clear label by law, she wanted to investigate the entities and industries that dictate these types of decisions in North America. In an attempt to uncover the truth, “Modified” turns the camera on corporations and government, and explores how today’s food policy has a lot more to do with money than it does public interest.

But “Modified” is not just a sterile look at the facts. What sets the film apart from other investigative documentaries is the acknowledgement of its deeply personal roots. Throughout, Giroux pays special tribute to her mother in interviews and also by weaving in scenes of her personal cooking adventures — sharing her passion in the kitchen, making mouthwatering dishes like roasted squash cornbread, semolina gnocchi, and “Mom’s Pea Soup.” The world over, food means much more than sustenance. It is how we communicate, it is tenderness, it is tradition and wisdom from ancestors passed down, it is culture, it is love. So why shouldn’t we be aware of the elements that make up such an essential part of our lives?

“Modified” knows the value of asking these kinds of questions, and the significance of their answers. As Giroux has said, “If you love something you want to defend it. And for me that is also a lot of what the film is about, we need to love and appreciate our food and be willing to stand up for it.”

The film has screened on the festival circuit, including the Victoria Film Festival, Atlantic Film Fest, and the KDocs Festival.

Upcoming screenings:

December 4, 2018 – Ecological Farmers of Ontario Conference – London, ON
December 6, 2018 – Quotes From The Earth Environmental Film Festival – New Delhi, India
December 7, 2018 – Festival International du Film Nature & Environnement – Grenoble, France

Under the Radar is Women and Hollywood’s newest feature. Published monthly, the post offers a chance for us to highlight works by and/or about women that haven’t received big releases or significant coverage in the press, but are wholly worthy of attention.

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