Press

Quotes:

“Fair Fight in the Marketplace talks about a very important subject, antitrust, which is rarely addressed in a way that is accessible to the public. This movie lays out the issue in a very clear and balanced way that is also entertaining.”
Robert Pitofsky, Former Chairman of US Federal Trade Commission, Professor at Georgetown University Law School

“This movie fills in an important missing piece in our basic civics education. I have lectured to high school students on antitrust, who know nothing about the subject, but find it not only interesting but compelling when it is explained to them.”
Kathleen Foote, Assistant Attorney General for the State of California

“As a consumer advocate and former federal government agency head, I know how important it is for the public to understand the role of government in maintaining fair and vigorous competition, but this has always been a difficult concept to translate for consumers. Fair Fight in the Marketplace is an amazing documentary, informative and entertaining, that shows why competition is so important and how urgently the antitrust laws are need.”
Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen, Former Director of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Project Descriptions:

One Sentence (20 words)

A half-hour documentary that provides an engaging look at the importance of antitrust law in protecting consumers and businesses.

Paragraph (70 words)

A half-hour documentary hosted by NPR/Fox News commentator Mara Liasson that provides an engaging look at the importance of antitrust law in protecting consumers and businesses. The program highlights three recent high profile cases – Archer Daniels Midland, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, and Microsoft – that dramatize how laws created in the 1890s remain relevant today. Produced, written and directed by David Donnenfield and Kevin White, of Filmmakers Collaborative San Francisco. Presented by the American Antitrust Institute.

Half-page (150 words)

• An engaging half-hour documentary that provides a critical look at the importance of antitrust law in protecting consumers and businesses. Hosted by NPR and Fox News commentator Mara Liasson, the program offers a short history of antitrust laws, followed by three recent case studies:
• Archer Daniels Midland leading a worldwide price-fixing conspiracy,
• Mylan Pharmaceuticals cutting off supplies to competitors to inflate product pricing,
• Microsoft’s illegal behavior to weaken Netscape in the Internet browser market.

Through the use of archival images, undercover FBI footage, and extensive interviews, Fair Fight in the Marketplace gives viewers powerful insights into our market economy and the impact of a 19th century law which remains relevant today.

Produced, written and directed by David Donnenfield and Kevin White, Filmmakers Collaborative San Francisco. Presented by the American Antitrust Institute. Made possible by a grant from the California Vitamin Cases Consumer Settlement Fund. Run time 27 minutes.

Filmmaker Bios:

David Donnenfield, Producer/Director/Writer

David Donnenfield has worked in visual media since 1975. He received his bachelor’s degree in Film from UCLA where he graduated cum laude. In 1991, he was awarded a master’s degree in Educational Technology from San Francisco State University where he was selected as the department’s outstanding graduate. He has extensive experience producing instructional and technical material for public audiences, having worked as a producer for the California State Department of Education for six years. Beginning in 1980, David worked on numerous programs for the syndicated TV magazine programs, PM Magazine andEvening Magazine. He also served as assistant producer for the Academy Award-nominated documentary Eight Minutes to Midnight. He has produced numerous educational and environmental programs for government agencies including Guardian of the Golden Gate, A Clean Exit and On Track to Reuse. His Secrets in Stone for the U.S. Geological Survey recounts the critical scientific discovery that led to the geologic model of plate tectonics. It aired on local PBS stations and won a CINE Golden Eagle Award, a Finalist Award at the New York Festival, and Honorable Mention at the Columbus International Film and Video Festival. His documentary on an austere meditation practice introduced into a U.S. jail, Changing from Inside, won the National Council on Crime and Delinquency’s Pass Award. It has aired on domestic cable stations as well as Dutch and Spanish TV, and enjoys worldwide distribution. In addition to corporate assignments for leading technology companies, David has produced programs for environmental organizations such as the Audubon Society, the CA Native Grass Association, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and others. He was commissioned by the New York Museum of Modern to produce a film on the Golden Gate National Recreational Area’s restored Crissy Field for its 2005 landscape architecture installation, “Groundswell.” He recently completed a two-DVD set that trains parents and caregivers of autistic children in novel techniques to enhance the children’s social and educational development. He is currently working with Kevin White on a half-hour documentary chronicling kids’ and teachers’ efforts to save the California freshwater shrimp by restoring habitat on private ranch land in Marin and Sonoma County.

Kevin White, Producer/Director/Writer

A television producer and director since 1980, Kevin White’s work includes Not All Parents Are Straight, which was shown at the San Francisco Film Festival, Film Arts Foundation Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, and aired nationally on PBS, winning top awards from the National Educational Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Festival, and the American Film Festival. He co-produced and directed Partnerships for Change, a series on education and the workforce for California Public Television. He was co-director/cameraman for We Bring a Quilt, narrated by Robert Wagner, which aired on PBS and Bravo and was nominated for a national ACE Award. He was Co-Producer for The Women Next Door, which was in the Berlin Film Festival and aired nationally on the PBS documentary series POV, receiving many awards. His documentary on the history of the stagecoach, Delivering the American West, has toured in many museums and festivals, and aired on the History Channel. His documentary From the Ground Up on managing the Salmon River Basin in California was broadcast nationally on PBS and received a CINE Golden Eagle Award and a Telly Award. His film, Restoring Balance, narrated by John Cleese, premiered on select PBS stations in summer of 2004 and has participated in many film festivals, including Hazel Wolf and the Wild and Scenic Film Festivals. His hour long documentary on the history of the San Joaquin Valley, A Land Between Rivers, will premier at the Sacramento Film Festival in March of 2007, and has already been broadcast by KVPT and ABC affiliate, KFSN. His documentary Returning Home was broadcast on the national PBS series “Natural Heroes” in Summer of 2006. It also received a Special Merit Award from the International Wildlife Film Festival, and is now participating in several film festivals. His recent documentary, Fair Fight in the Marketplace, produced and directed with David Donnenfield, will receive a national feed on PBS in Spring of 2007. In 1984, he started Full Frame Productions, a film and video production company; and in 1988 he and filmmaker Michal Aviad created Filmmakers Collaborative, a nonprofit organization to produce educational media addressing social and environmental issues.