Written by Victoria Tomis

Published on November 3, 2014

“These people are trying to patent nature, I don’t think it’s moral. But, now it’s an accepted practice,” a furious ruddy-faced farmer tells film director Jeremy Seifert as they walk on screen through a wooded area.

On October 29, the Healthy Living Club and the Women’s Center hosted a screening of  Seifert’s movie GMO OMG at the Beacon Hall Event Center. Before the film started, the members of CONNFACT, the organization responsible for bringing the film to HCC, briefly introduced themselves to students and handed out pamphlets to those in attendance. CONNFACT, or Connecticut Families Against Chemical Trespass, is a non-profit organization associated with the group GMO Free CT. Their mission is to educate communities and get as many people as they can to spread the word.

CONNFACT volunteer Carol Peringer introduced the film by saying, “The idea is to take your world back! Take your food back!”

“GMO OMG” is a documentary film written and directed by Seifert. The 2014 film features Seifert’s journey into the world of GMO’s, what they are, and what can be done about them. GMO is an acronym for “genetically modified organism”. The problem he hopes to make people aware of is that they are finding their way into our food chain more and more.

Black and white cartoon images make their way across the screen as Seifert’s voiceover explains that GMOs are crops that have been injected by or mutated with traits from another crop…or even animal!

Adding to this mad scientist horror story, GMO crops are saturated with pesticides and herbicides making them lethal to not only the environment, but potentially the people (and animals) who eat them.

Seifert travels throughout the United States and other parts of the world to get the inside story on what these creepy crops are and what he, what any of us really, can do about it. We get to see as Seifert and his two young sons suit up into bulky white Haz-Mat suits and walk through GMO raised cornfields.

“Not every kid gets to play in a GMO field of corn!” he  tells his sons as they charge into the thick brush of chemical corn.

Punctuated by interviews, recorded customer service phone calls, visual images, and video clips, GMO OMG brings the very scary, very real, truth to viewers. At the conclusion of the film CONNFACT chair and certified health coach Christine O’Day along with volunteer Peringer introduced their organization and opened the floor for discussion.

“I was disturbed,” HCC student Julian Gordon said.  Gordon’s young daughter’s health problems caused her to look into the possibility the illnesses were related to GMOs.

“I had to do all my own research and I started eating all organic,” Gordon said, as she thanked

CONNFACT for getting the word out with this screening.

Another HCC student, Jackie Kochiss said, “This was really cool, I knew nothing about GMOs, thank you for playing this!”

Student Paul Chuhvov told the volunteers, “The film spoke to me very well. I’m motivated by my grandchildren, for their future, to help them develop the right habits. I do have this theory, Monsanto is actually run by aliens, with all the strength and power,”  he said, laughing.

CONNFACT’s chairperson O’Day told the audience,“We have to question, read, vote with our dollars and eat around the GMOs, Your way to get back is to stand up and educate people. Stop buying products, have conversations with those around you, call and write to companies.”

For more information check out CONNFACT’s website connfact.org or their facebook page. To find out how you can see the film visit the webpage gmofilm.com.