Last week, according to the New York Times, GlaxoSmithKline (which sells the weight-loss drug Alli in many countries) announced that it will provide a yet-undisclosed sum of money to the Creative Coalition for a documentary on obesity - a film that is already being compared to “An Inconvenient Thruth”. Although a budget has not been set, an Academy Award-winning director will be named on Jan. 25 at the Sundance Film Festival
The Creative Coalition is the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan social and political advocacy organization of the entertainment industry. In an interview to Sharon Waxman, Robin Bronk, the executive director of the Creative Coalition had this to say: “It’s reverse product placement. It’s issue placement. It’s organic for us. We’re using filmmaking to promote a film message. Art influences. Look at Al Gore; he could not move the needle on global warming until he went Hollywood. And he was the vice president.”
As to GSK’s role in the documentary? “They have absolutely no creative control. Zero.”
Sure, GSK, as the maker of Alli, has a vested interest in obesity. So is this just going to be a pricey infomercial for Alli? Probably not. As pointed out in the New York Times, “As a rule, documentary makers are an aggressively anticorporate crowd.”
Personally, I very much hope that this documentary will also take on the issue of weight-bias and discrimination that faces obese people and will not simply portray obesity as the result of stupid lazy slobs making poor choices. Based on the generally negative depictions of obese people and the abundant discriminatory fat jokes in Hollywood films, I will be watching keenly to see how much finger pointing and blame will find its way into the final cut.
AMS
Edmonton, Alberta
In The News
January 12th, 2010 at 10:17 am
I wonder if there will be a large amount of viewers watching this? Perhaps it needs to be in a “Super Size Me” type of format to work. It may only point out again that obesity exists yet not change obese behaviors for the most.
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:47 pm
I heard an inteview on CBC radio Canada with one of the members of the creative Coalition. Feb 02/2010. She refered to GSK as a “Tremendous corporate citizen” Please take it from one who has suffered 10 years from side affects of Paxil; a SSRI, manufactured by GSK. This company has been anything but a “Tremendous Corporate Citizen”. The affects of this drug have been concealed from the public and the medical community in the pursuite of Profit, at all costs to the stakeholders. Check out there five year litigation record on the internet, it sure does not reflect to me a “Tremendous Corporate Citizen”. GSK definitley have a marketing strategey, waiting in the wings. It just goes to show what money can do. After this movie has great exposure, you will see them doing mass marketing advertisement. Something similar to how they marketed antidepressants in the 90’s. We all know there is a problem with obersity. We have additives, perservatives, antibiotics, etc in our food sources. Most people would like a quick fix like a product like the one GSK has available over the counter. Well lets hope since GSK is making the headlines again; that maybe more people who have there life in ruins from some of there products can get thee message out. Thanks Pat