Poverty, Inc.
Film poster
Directed byMichael Matheson Miller
Written byMichael Matheson Miller
Jonathan Witt
Produced byMichael Matheson Miller
Release date
  • December 5, 2014 (2014-12-05)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Poverty, Inc. is a 91-minute documentary inquiry into the nature of human flourishing and the effects of the multibillion dollar poverty industrial complex erected to promote it. The film challenges current perceptions of global charity and promotes entrepreneurship as an effective alternative to alleviating world poverty.[1] The film was made by the Acton Institute, a free market think tank.

Production and synopsis

The filming started in 2010. Directed by Michael Matheson Miller and drawing from over 200 interviews filmed in 20 countries,[2] Poverty, Inc. explores the neocolonial power dynamics embedded paternalism underpinning the predominant modes of assistance, which often situate “the poor” (i.e. “the other”) as the objects of charity rather than as the active protagonists in their own stories.

The film has the tag-line, “Fighting poverty is big business, but who profits the most?” One of the things the film looks at is charitable institutions and their role in fighting poverty. It questions whether aid institutions themselves are sometimes a hindrance to fighting poverty.[3][4] The film features Herman Chinery-Hesse, Hernando de Soto and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammad Yunus.[3] Also mentioned in the film are Bill Clinton and Bono.[5] A significant proportion of the film focuses on the unintended consequences of a policy to subsidize rice exports from the US to Haiti under the Clinton Administration in the 1990s, which he later admitted was a failure[6] with additional coverage in the film of the reality of Haiti orphanages and the work of the Apparent Project to help bring parents out of poverty.

Critical reception

Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "As if poverty weren't a challenging enough phenomenon unto itself, time has revealed that good intentions by outsiders can in many cases make the problem worse – a cruel irony that serves as the basis of Michael Matheson Miller’s Poverty Inc., an easy-to-understand docu-essay with a tough-to-accept message, especially as it implies that some aid organizations may actually be cashing in on their concern."[7] And about the director: "Miller avoids the manipulative tricks of lesser filmmakers, presenting his argument with lucidity and reason. Whereas others give without thinking, Poverty Inc. provides genuine food for thought."[7]

Jessi Cape of the Austin Chronicle wrote, "This is a not a sappy documentary – it is all about data: tax loopholes, jobs, geopolitics, property rights, gender issues, rule of law, and much else."[8]

Justice Network, an anti-human trafficking NGO, commented, "It's a raw look at what we're doing wrong and what could be done right."[9]

Economist Jose Caraballo-Cueto wrote in the Huffington Post that the film relies heavily on anecdotes, committing "what economists call the fallacy of composition."[10] The film was also critiqued for conflating foreign aid, NGO work, and the work of international development organizations, blurring the distinction between charity and support for development.[11]

In reviewing the film, Jeff Bloem argues: "It is exceedingly dangerous to only consider aid spending that has not lead to the reduction of poverty while disregarding the aid spending that actually does produce worthwhile results" and cites the eradication of smallpox as an example of successful aid efforts.[12]

Awards

Anthem Film Festival
  • FreedomFest Grand Prize
  • Documentary Feature, Excellence in Filmmaking
  • Audience Choice Award, Feature length[13]
Bahamas International Film Festival
Chagrin Documentary Film Fest
  • Emerging Filmmaker Award[16]
Docutah Film Festival
FirstGlance Film Festival Philadelphia
  • Emerging Filmmaker Award[14]

Official selection

See also

References

  1. ↑ Harger, Jim (November 13, 2015). "Acton Institute film about poverty wins $100,000 Templeton Freedom Award". Grand Rapids Press. MLive. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  2. ↑ The DePaulia Provocative documentary ‘Poverty, Inc.’ premieres at Chicago International Social Change Film Festival
  3. 1 2 The Austin Chronicle Austin Film Festival: Poverty, Inc. Doc uncovers ugly truths in the booming global-poverty aid industry By Jessi Cape, 8:00 am, Wed. Oct. 29, 2014
  4. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel On Self-Governance, Why Free Food and Used Clothing Won't End Poverty By Peter A. Giersch April 26, 2015
  5. ↑ Denver Film Society Poverty, Inc.
  6. ↑ O’Connor, Maura R. "Subsidizing Starvation". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  7. 1 2 Debruge, Peter (November 18, 2015). "Film Review: 'Poverty Inc.'". Variety. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Cape, Jessi (2014-10-29). "Austin Film Festival: Poverty, Inc. : Doc uncovers ugly truths in the booming global-poverty aid industry – Screens". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  9. ↑ Justice Network (2017-10-23). "What if our approach to poverty is broken?". Justice-network.org. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  10. ↑ Caraballo-Cueto, Jose (September 19, 2017). "'What's Wrong With 'Poverty, Inc.'? A Critical Review'". Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  11. ↑ caraballocueto (2017-10-23). "A Critical Review on the documentary "Poverty, Inc."". Developing Economics. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  12. ↑ "To End Global Poverty We Need More Evidence, Not Less Aid: A Review of "Poverty, Inc."". Shared Justice. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  13. ↑ Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World Anthem Film Festival: List of Nominees & Award Winners July 18, 2015
  14. 1 2 3 The SIMA Collection Poverty, Inc. Festivals & Awards
  15. ↑ WorldEventz Bahamas International Film Encore
  16. ↑ Chagrin Documentary Film Fest 2014 Award Winners
  17. ↑ The Spectrum Film festival Desert Valley Times 8:49 a.m. MDT September 9, 2014
  18. ↑ Austin Film Festival 2014 Film Schedule Archived 2014-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ Chicago International Social Change Film Festival 2014 schedule
  20. ↑ The SIMA Collection Festivals & Awards
  21. ↑ cafe.allhallowsleeds.org.uk Poverty, Inc.
  22. ↑ Leeds International Film Festival POverty, Inc. Archived 2015-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
  23. 1 2 The SIMA Collection Poverty, Inc. Festivals & Awards
  24. ↑ San Luis Obispo International Film Festival San Luis Obispo International Film Festival Archived 2015-06-30 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ↑ Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 17th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival – Newsletter #498 (3/14/2015
  26. ↑ "Filmavond – Afrika Film Festival – Poverty Inc". Stad Leuven. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
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