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Selected Press
“Island Earth follows several Hawaiians—including a young scientist studying biotechnology and chemistry—as they struggle to understand the impact of the technology on their islands. The takeaway is that although GMOs may be safe in a narrow sense, there are broader implications for how the technology is wielded as a form of modern-day colonialism. It’s a perspective that is too often omitted in conversations about modern technology.”
“Hawaii is a particularly fraught battleground in the GMO debate, and pro surfer/director Cyrus Sutton dives right into it with three locals: cultural practitioner and educator Malia Chun, biotechnology PhD student Cliff Kapono, and pro surfer/MMA fighter/mayoral candidate Dustin Barca. It’s a compelling personal look at an issue that’s become something of a terrifying catchphrase.”
“[Cyrus’s] latest documentary, ‘Island Earth,’ focuses on the land rather than the sea, exploring the many complicated facets of farming in the state of Hawaii—a state that’s rich in fertile soil yet still imports the vast majority of its food.”
“What’s happening in Hawaii effects the rest of the country and visa versa. These tiny Islands are a microcosm for the problems we all face but also the solutions we could embody.”
“This film captures our moment in time, where two separate paths are being forged at once: one that builds upon the past in the name of progress, and the other that rejects the past in the name of progress.”
“If you’re not already well versed in the corporate (and political) takeover of Hawaii by big-money agriculture interests, Island Earth is likely to send you into a fist-clenching rage.”
“Instead of dredging up the complicated GMO argument, Sutton focuses on something else, the people at the heart of a diverse, DIY agricultural movement away from large-scale industrial production.”
“[Cyrus’s] latest film carries much more weight, as he examines how the GMO industry is changing Hawaii with widespread use of pesticides and legislative entanglements, having awakened a citizenry that is not willing to sit by idly as their food supply is determined for them.”
“Island Earth is an eye-opening look into Hawaii as the epicenter for food reform.”
“Agribusiness takes a well-deserved hit in Cyrus Sutton’s doc, cannily focused on the Hawaiian Islands, where ludicrously, 90 percent of the food is shipped in while prodigiously fertile land, which filled everyone’s belly for millennia, is blighted by monoculture or the ongoing use of restricted pesticides.”
“While Island Earth explores the difficult and much-debated issues of genetic modification and experimentation on food, the film also proposes solutions through characters who are dedicated to growing and eating locally in a state that imports more than 85 percent of its food.”
“[Cyrus] examines how the GMO industry is changing Hawaii with widespread use of pesticides and legislative entanglements, having awakened a citizenry that is not willing to sit by idly as their food supply is determined for them.”
“‘Island Earth’ is a documentary that will hopefully change the way we grow and consume food.”