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Payback

2011 1 h 25 min
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This feature documentary based on Margaret Atwood’s bestselling book Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth offers a fascinating look at debt as a mental construct and traces how it influences relationships, societies, governing structures and the fate of the planet itself. Exploring the link between debtor and creditor in a variety of contexts and places, from the mountains of northern Albania to the tomato fields of southern Florida, the film blends compelling stories of “owing” and “being owed” with the views of renowned figures like Karen Armstrong, Louise Arbour, William Rees and Raj Patel.

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Payback

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This feature documentary based on Margaret Atwood’s bestselling book Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth offers a fascinating look at debt as a mental construct and traces how it influences relationships, societies, governing structures and the fate of the planet itself. Exploring the link between debtor and creditor in a variety of contexts and places, from the mountains of northern Albania to the tomato fields of southern Florida, the film blends compelling stories of “owing” and “being owed” with the views of renowned figures like Karen Armstrong, Louise Arbour, William Rees and Raj Patel.

  • writer
    Jennifer Baichwal
  • director
    Jennifer Baichwal
  • producer
    Ravida Din
  • director of photography
    Nick de Pencier
  • editor
    Nick Hector
  • additional editing
    Avrïl Jacobson
  • sound recordist
    Nick de Pencier
  • featuring
    Louise Arbour
    Karen Armstrong
    Margaret Atwood
    Conrad Black
    Raj Patel
    William Rees
    Gjon Biba
    Gjergi Lala
    Agim Loci
    Gjin Marku
    Donika Prenaga
    Gjin Prenaga
    Liliana Prenaga
    Llesh Prenaga
    Lorenco Prenaga
    Pashke Prenaga
    Ilir Prenga
    Petrit Prenga
    Zef Sinani
    Florence Barran
    Paul Mohammed
    Francis Dolan
    Lucas Benitez
    Gerardo Reyes Chavez
    Jon Esformes
    Gregorio Venegas
    Casi Callaway
    Rodney Lyons
  • assistant editor
    Avrïl Jacobson
  • sound design
    David Rose
  • sound editor
    David Rose
  • dialogue editor
    Barry Gilmore
  • visual researcher
    Elizabeth Klinck
  • additional research
    Tanya Blake
    Stephanie Herzog
    Katherine Kasirer
    Elizabeth Klinck
    Jim Panou
  • consultant
    Daniel Bilefsky
    Avi Lewis
    Raj Patel
  • location coordinator
    Hektor Kosova
    Julia Perkins
  • translator
    Hektor Kosova
  • additional camera
    Keith Brust
    Edward Burtynsky
  • media relations officer
    Annette Allen
  • communications manager
    Holly L. Knowles
  • assistant, warden management services
    Len Mainville
  • cineflex operator
    Chris Chanda
  • helicopter pilot
    Rory Gassiot
  • production assistant
    Troy Coffee
  • location research
    Sasha Archibald
  • event services and scheduling
    Jennifer Joost
  • production manager
    Lynn Trout
  • publicity photographer
    Kyle Petrozza
    Jeffery A. Salter
    Laura Emiko Soltis
    Steve Wilkie
  • transcription
    Helen Bucknell
    Stephanie Herzog
    Hélène Laporte-Rawji
  • translation
    Karina Azanza
    Entela Kosova
    Roland Lelaj
    Gafas Rodriguez
  • legal counsel
    Stéphanie L'Écuyer
  • original music
    Martin Tielli
  • re-recording
    Jean Paul Vialard
  • online editor
    Denis Pilon
  • demo editor
    Jason Gilmore
  • titles
    Elysha Poirier
    Gaspard Gaudreau
    Mélanie Bouchard
  • technical coordinator
    Steve Hallé
    France Couture
    Brigitte Sénéchal
  • senior production coordinator
    Camila Blos
    Isabelle Limoges
  • production coordinator
    Stefanie Brantner
    Heather Gibb
    Shiraz Janjua
    Sia Koukoulas
    Christine Williams
    Helen Bucknell
    Stephanie Herzog
  • marketing manager
    Kelley Alexander
    Leslie Stafford
  • publicist
    Jennifer Mair
  • program administrator
    Leslie Anne Poyntz
    Stephanie Brown
  • executive producer
    Ravida Din

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Education

Ages 14 to 17
School subjects
Screen the film and then discuss its central theme: a debt owed, a debt repaid. Assign groups to write and perform skits exploring the same theme, building upon previous exposure to drama activities such as improvisation. Compliment the film with additional texts or videos that involve similar themes to help students to delve more deeply into the issues of debt: documentaries such as Debtocracy, Maxed Out and An Inconvenient Truth and dramas such as 12 Angrymen, Les Miserables and Erin Brockovich.
Payback
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Home licence (worldwide); Classroom licence (Canada only)

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Institutional licence

The institutional price includes the rights to screen this film in institutional settings and in free public screenings.