About Bag It

Synopsis

Americans use 60,000 plastic bags every five minutes-single-use disposable bags that we mindlessly throw away. But where is "away?" Where do the bags and other plastics end up, and at what cost to our environment, marine life and human health? Bag It follows "everyman" Jeb Berrier as he navigates our plastic world. Jeb is not a radical environmentalist, but an average American who decides to take a closer look at our cultural love affair with plastics. Jeb's journey in this documentary film starts with simple questions: Are plastic bags really necessary? What are plastic bags made from? What happens to plastic bags after they are discarded? Jeb looks beyond plastic bags and discovers that virtually everything in modern society-from baby bottles, to sports equipment, to dental sealants, to personal care products-is made with plastic or contains potentially harmful chemical additives used in the plastic-making process. When Jeb's journey takes a personal twist, we see how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up with us and what we can do about it. Today. Right now.

Technical Info

Runtime: 78 minutes; 65 minutes; 45 minutes
Exhibition Formats: DVD, HDCam, DigiBeta
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 or 1.85
Shooting Format: HD
Country: U.S.A.
Language: English
Color: Color
Filming Locations: Bahamas, England, Germany, Ireland, Midway Atoll, and the U.S. (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, New York, Seattle, Washington DC)

Filmmakers

Suzan Beraza, Director: Born in Jamaica and raised in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, Suzan Beraza's thought-provoking films challenge viewers to examine their lives and consider the impact of their choices. Her films have appeared on national public television in the United States, and at many festivals, winning top awards at Worldfest, Montreal Film Festival, and Mountainfilm in Telluride, among others. Previous films include Life's A Beach, American Outrage, Blue Planet Run, Water, A Clear Solution and Troubled Waters: The Dilemma of Dams.

Jeb Berrier, Talent: Jeb Berrier is the host for a morning television show on Plum TV. Working for Plum, Berrier won an Emmy® award for his coverage of the 2008 Democratic Convention. Berrier also works as an actor and director in theater, film, and television commercials and was a member of the National Shakespeare Company in New York City in the mid-1990s. He also produces the annual Telluride Comedy Festival.

Michelle Hill, Producer: Michelle has only recently discovered the art of film production. She is an artist, small business owner and environmentalist. She believes that one of the most important things anyone can do to make the world a better place is to constantly gain new perspectives on life. Documentary film production has been a perfect way to integrate her many skills and talents. Bag It is her first film.

Judith Kohin, Executive Producer: Judith was the executive director of the Ah Haa School for the Arts-one of southwest Colorado's most successful arts organizations-from 1991-2006. Under her leadership, the Ah Haa School served thousands of students, hosted hundreds of arts exhibitions and raised more than a million dollars for arts programming, facilities, and financial aid.

Credits

A Reel Thing Productions Film
In association with the Telluride Institute

Director:
Suzan Beraza

Producers:
Michelle Hill, Suzan Beraza

Executive Producer:
Judith Kohin

Cinematography:
Leigh Reagan

Camera, 2nd Unit Director:
Jim Hurst

Editors:
Casey Nay, Suzan Beraza

Writer:
Michelle Curry Wright

Original Music:
Larry Groupé

Principal Cast:
Jeb Berrier, Anne Reeser

Selected Interviews

Plastic Politics:
Richard Conlin, Seattle City Council
Jared Blumenfeld, San Francisco Department of the Environment
Jack Macy, San Francisco Department of the Environment
Christine Quinn, New York City Speaker

Single-Use Disposable Culture:
Dan Imhoff, Author, Paper or Plastic
Annie Leonard, Author, Story of Stuff
Chris Jordan, Artist, Running the Numbers
Beth Terry, Activist, My Plastic Free Life
Sharon Rowe, Founder, EcoBags
Dr. Michael Braungart, Author, Cradle to Cradle

Waste and Recycling:
Peter Gleick, Pacific Institute
Martin Bourque, Director Berkeley Ecology Center
Elizabeth Royte, Author, Garbage Land, Bottlemania
Tara Deporte, Lower East Side Ecology Center

Plastics in our Oceans:
Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer
Dr. Richard Thompson, Professor Marine Biology, University of Plymouth
Anna Cummins, Algalita Marine Research
Dr. Marcus Eriksen, Junk Raft
Dr. Wallace 'J' Nichols, Turtle Scientist
Scott Harrison, Surf Rider Foundation
John Klavitter, Midway Atol National Park
Capt. Charles Moore, Ocean Gyres Expert
Elizabeth Griffin, Oceana
Capt. Paul Watson, Whale Wars

Plastics and Human Health Concerns:
Dr. Frederick Vom Saal, Professor, University of Missouri
Dr. Theo Colborn, TDEX, Endocrine Disruption Exchange
Rebecca Sutton, Environmental Working Group
Sharyle Patton, Commonweal, Bio Monitoring
Dr. Shanna Swan, University of New York Rochester School of Medicine
Erika Schreder, Scientist, Washington Toxics
Peter Coyote, Actor, Author & Activist