Last weekend, the highly-anticipated film Forks Over Knives opened in select cities across the United States. The film looks at the idea that most, if not all, degenerative diseases can be prevented or reversed by a plant-based, whole foods diet. Creator and Executive Producer Brian Wendel was inspired to explore this claim after reading The China Study in 2008. He saw that this powerful message was going unheard by many people. Forks Over Knives aims to bring this message to a mainstream audience.
Vegan Mainstream: Most of us in the vegan community know all about Forks Over Knives, but for those who don’t know, could you give a quick overview of the film?
Brian Wendel: Forks Over Knives expands on the concept that many degenerative diseases, including heart disease and some forms of cancer, can be prevented, and in some cases reversed, by adopting a plant-based diet. In addition to the science, it also has a reality component, so we take patients who are quite sick, have type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular issues, and we put them on the diet that we are talking about in the film and see what happens to them.
VM: What inspired you to create this film?
BW: I’ve been interested in nutrition for quite some time. Specifically, I’ve been into whole foods, plant nutrition for almost 10 years. I knew intuitively that the power of this diet was there. When I read The China Study and some other books a few years ago, it became apparent that the evidence was there. It was a huge news story that wasn’t being told–the story that we can have power over these degenerative disease. There was only a segment of the population that knew this information. I ultimately decided to do something big. I decided a feature film would be a great way to highlight this issue without interference.
VM: When did you begin pre-screening the film?
BW: We started screening at the end of last summer, the summer of 2010. The first big screening was in Philadelphia, and it was in an almost 500-person theater. A line formed around the theater for the screening! Thirty of our one-night advanced screenings were sold out. There were triple digit waiting lists. During the success of this program, we decided to run the movie in Portland for one week as a test. We rented the theater for one week and wanted to see how we’d do. We had a dozen sell outs, and we ended up staying with the theater. We stayed in Portland for a total of five weeks. It did great! There was not a night that we didn’t have a full house.
VM: What has been the general response to the film?
BW: The response has been great. It’s blown me away. I think the people who are into a plant-based lifestyle are really enthused by the film as well as people who are not. We tried developing the film for people who are not into the lifestyle. The film isn’t preachy. In Portland for instance, we did exit surveys and more than half of the people coming out were not living a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. So, the response has been great from across the board.
VM: How long did it take to research and create this film?
BW: We started in October of 2008, and that includes research, production and post production.
VM: Why do you think there is this disconnect between the foods people eat and their health? Do people know how important the connection is but lack discipline to make changes?
BW: The connection is grossly underestimated. People know that diet matters, but they [don't realize how much]. People are definitely confused as to what constitutes a healthy diet. From the time we are young, we have it run into our heads that animal-based foods are actually important, healthy components of the diet. The evidence is showing that animal-based foods really aren’t healthy. The fact that people don’t improve their health when they change their diet is because they are changing from one Western-based diet to another. They aren’t changing to a plant-based diet. When people see the evidence [of a plant-based diet], and try it, I think a lot of them will…be surprised by it.
VM: When will Forks Over Knives be available in theaters or on DVD?
BW: Forks Over Knives started its theater run May 6 in Los Angeles and New York. It opened in 24 select cities on May 13. The DVD release depends on how the theatrical run plays out. It could be late summer or late August.
VM: What advice would you give someone who saw the film and now wants to make the transition to a plant-based diet?
BW: I would suggest they really educate themselves. There is a lot of great information out there. The experts in the film are a great place to start in terms of their material on what to eat. Just give it a try. Have fun with it. For those that have been eating a meat-based diet, when you go on a plant diet you have to work your way through it a bit. Before long, you’ll be seeing results and not missing the old diet.
VM: What was the most surprising thing you learned while making the film?
BW: The thing that really surprised me the most was how disappointed I was in the academic institutions. For example, Colin Campbell was doing this incredible research, and he didn’t get support from his colleagues. It really was amazing to me to learn how conflicted these universities are. A lot of them are serving dairy industry interests.
Check out this page to find more information on when Forks and Knives is being shown in a theater near you.
