The Grab
An investigative journalist uncovers the money, influence and alarming rationale behind covert efforts to control the most vital resource on the planet.
From the Center for Investigative Reporting Studios and director Gabriela Cowperthwaite.
Please sign up for news and other exciting developments about THE GRAB or if you would like to be involved in the impact campaign:
“This is the ‘holy shit’ documentary of the year.”
“Astonishing, eye-opening … unspools like a thriller in one sense and a dystopian science fiction movie in another.”
“Paced like a sleek, complex international thriller, where nothing less than the future of the world is at stake.”
For more information about THE GRAB, including air dates, screening possibilities and more, please contact Amanda Pike, director of TV and documentaries, at apike@revealnews.org.
Screenings
Where can you watch THE GRAB?
June 14th, The Grab premieres at these select theaters, with more to come:
Additional Ways to Watch
The Grab has already been shown in the following festivals:
Press Coverage
‘The big story of the 21st century’: is this the most shocking documentary of the year?
The Guardian/Adrian Horton
‘The Grab’ Why every world power is working to control the access of food and water
This Past Weekend/Theo Von
‘The Grab’ Review: Exposing a Nearly Invisible Conspiracy to Control the World’s Food and Water
Variety/Peter Debruge
‘The Grab’ Review: A Gripping and Timely Look at Land Grabs and Investigative Journalism
The Hollywood Reporter/Daniel Fienberg
TIFF 2022: Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Eye-Opening New Doc ‘The Grab’
FirstShowing/Alex Billington
The Grab’s Gabriela Cowperthwaite and Nate Halverson on Their Urgent Exposé
Point of View Magazine/Pat Mullen
‘This is where WW III starts’: ‘The Grab’ filmmaker on the urgent scarcity created by the powerful
Salon/Gary M. Kramer
The Global Battle to Control Food and Water Chronicled in Documentary ‘The Grab’
KQED/Forum
The Shocking Story Behind “The Grab,” A Thriller About Food
Longer Tables/Chef José Andrés
Mill Valley Film Fest: Gripping ‘The Grab’ documentary traces invisible conspiracy to control the world’s water
The Mercury News/Randy Myers
‘Knives Out’ sequel, Spielberg’s latest and 19 more major premieres at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival
Los Angeles Times/Mark Olsen
‘The Grab’ gets deep into the shadowy roots of a global food crisis
San Francisco Chronicle/Jessica Zack
The Grab
Next Best Picture/Nadia Dalimonte
‘The Grab’ Review: A startling exposé six years in the making
Far Out Magazine/Monica Reid
About the Team
Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Writer / Director / Producer
Gabriela Cowperthwaite has been directing documentaries and narrative films for over 20 years. She rose to prominence with the 2013 release of “Blackfish,” which examined the plight of orcas and their trainers at SeaWorld. “Blackfish” quickly became one of the highest-grossing documentaries of all time and helped permanently change the captive industry. The film was shortlisted for an Academy Award and nominated for a BAFTA Award. Most recently, Cowperthwaite completed “ISS,” a space station thriller starring Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose. Her critically acclaimed film “Our Friend,” starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson and Jason Segel, was released in 2021. “Megan Leavey,” which marked Cowperthwaite’s narrative directorial debut, is based on the true life story of a Marine corporal (Kate Mara) whose unique bond with her military combat dog saved many lives during their deployment in Iraq.
Nate Halverson, Producer / Lead Reporter
Nate Halverson is an Emmy Award-winning senior reporter and producer at The Center for Investigative Reporting, covering business and finance with an emphasis on the global food system. He has reported across the world, including Russia, Guatemala, England, Zambia, China and Venezuela, and on investigative topics ranging from financial fraud to organized crime and internal company documents that helped result in people receiving a $155 million settlement. Halverson broke the international news that California was literally sinking, a result of farmers overpumping groundwater in the drought-stricken Central Valley. He revealed the Saudi government’s plan to support the acquisition of food and water resources around the world and reported on classified cables from the U.S. State Department that detailed the growing anxiety of wealthy countries about looming water and food shortages.
Amanda Pike, Producer
Amanda Pike is the director of TV and documentaries at The Center for Investigative Reporting. Under her leadership, CIR garnered its first Academy Award nomination and four national Emmys, among other accolades. She was the executive producer of the inaugural year of the Glassbreaker Films initiative, supporting women-identifying filmmakers and journalists. She has spent the past two decades reporting and producing documentaries for PBS, CBS, ABC, National Geographic, A&E, Lifetime and The Learning Channel, among others. Subjects have ranged from militia members in Utah to young entrepreneurs in Egypt and genocide perpetrators in Cambodia. Pike also has dabbled in fiction filmmaking, producing the short film “On the Assassination of the President,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Blye Faust, Producer
Blye Faust is an Academy and Emmy Award-winning producer. Her credits include “Spotlight,” which won best motion picture and best original screenplay at the 2016 Academy Awards and went on to gross nearly $100 million at the worldwide box office during its release. She most recently produced the hit Amazon docuseries “LuLaRich” and is currently in production with the “LuLaRich” team on another multipart series for Amazon. Other documentary credits include Emmy Award-winning and Peabody nominee “Belly of the Beast” and Emmy and Critic’s Choice Award nominee “Rewind.” In addition to her work as a producer, Faust is a ReFrame Rise sponsor and a member of the SFFILM Creative Advisory Board and the CreativeFuture Leadership Committee. She was previously a board member for The Center for Investigative Reporting and is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the State Bar of California.
Nicole Rocklin, Producer
Nicole Rocklin is the Oscar-winning producer of “Spotlight,” the riveting true story behind the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation of the Boston Archdiocese. At the 2016 Academy Awards, the film won best motion picture and best original screenplay. Her other producing credits include “Love, Lizzo” (directed by Doug Pray); “The Perfect Guy” (directed by David M. Rosenthal, starring Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy and Morris Chestnut), which opened No. 1 at the box office its opening weekend; and “Middle of Nowhere” (directed by John Stockwell, starring Anton Yelchin, Eva Amurri, Justin Chatwin, Willa Holland and Susan Sarandon). She started her entertainment career as an assistant at Jerry Bruckheimer Films and graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in history and African American studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild of America and the CreativeFuture Leadership Committee.
