TORONTO, Oct. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - The award-winning documentary film, A Billion Lives, premieres in Toronto, Canada on October 21, 2016, at the Ted Rogers Hot Docs Theatre.
Igniting controversy about the collusion between corporations and their corrupt government partners, A Billion Lives shows through interviews with various stakeholders how big business entities are conspiring to destroy an industry, even if it means a billion people will die this century as a result.
Over 40 million people worldwide use vapour technology, with many successfully employing it as a means to quit smoking. Director Aaron Biebert documents this phenomenon by travelling across four continents investigating why a device that can save lives has been so widely discredited.
While many countries have restricted vapour technology, A Billion Lives has impacted government regulations around the world. In New Zealand, three days after the film premiered, the government announced it would re-examine its ban on vapour technology – even removing funding from some organizations that oppose it.
Canada has recently seen a patchwork of Provincial regulations implemented across the country this year, including a near-total shutdown of the industry in Quebec. With the Federal government aiming to put forward Federal regulations this month, the timing of this film is highly relevant.
"Dealing with the epidemic of cigarette caused disease is easy," says David Sweanor, veteran anti-smoking advocate working with the Centre for Health Law, Policy & Ethics at the University of Ottawa. "It is the smoke, not the nicotine, that causes the carnage. But there are huge vested interests standing in the way of giving Canadians a viable alternative to cigarettes. As this documentary seeks to show, the adversaries are not the entities most would suspect."
Independently funded by Attention Era Media, A Billion Lives has received accolades, including the Best International Documentary award at Johannesburg's Jozi Film Festival (South Africa September 2016), Supreme Jury Prize and Best Director awards at Melbourne Documentary Film Festival (Australia, July 2016), a Remi Award at the Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, and the Dorn Award from the Global Forum on Nicotine. The film has also premiered to rave reviews at New Zealand's Doc Edge Film Festival (May 2016), and in Paris, Warsaw, Auckland, and Milwaukee.
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Image with caption: "The award winning Documentary A Billion Lives set to make its Canadian Premiere, in Toronto on October 21st. (CNW Group/A Billion Lives)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161012_C8421_PHOTO_EN_793623.jpg
Toronto media screening Tuesday, October 18th, those interested please contact: Coterie Media - US: Jane Sparango, [email protected], 310-339-1214; Toronto: Maria Duic, [email protected], 647-407-7206
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