The Leech and the Earthworm

Taking its title from a prescient folk tale of natural misinformation, this impressive and imaginatively assembled campaigning doc explores the murky world of genetic sampling, engineering and ownership and its explicit links to a far from dormant colonialism. Focusing on the economic, ethical and legal issues around exploitation of blood samples from first-nation islanders in Oceania, the film uses impressionistic image collages, effective scoring, archive footage and creative graphics to trace a centuries-old lineage of abuse and to argue for an alternative, interdependent worldview based on collaboration and ancient wisdom. Ambitious and provocative, it's a welcome and timely search for values and worth in a desert of corporate sprawl.