“GRIPPING.... The testimony is often fascinating.” —A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Margaret Atwood’s visionary non-fiction work Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth is the basis for this riveting and poetic documentary on “debt” in its various forms—societal, personal, environmental, spiritual, criminal, and of course, economic. Filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes) strikingly interweaves these (sometimes surprising) debtor/creditor relationships: two families in a years-long Albanian blood feud; the BP oil spill vs. the Gulf Coast; mistreated Florida tomato farm workers and their bosses; imprisoned media mogul Conrad Black and the U.S. justice system. With stunning cinematography and insightful commentary, the film is a brilliant, game-changing rumination on the subject.

Payback features appearances by Margaret Atwood; economist-activist Raj Patel; International Crisis Group CEO and former war crimes prosecutor Louise Arbour; ecological economist William Rees; religious history commentator Karen Armstrong; and writer Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation).

HD transfer, enhanced for widescreen viewing; Q&A with Margaret Atwood and director Jennifer Baichwal; Additional scenes; Theatrical trailer; 5.1 and stereo soundtracks; and English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired.