Budworks

Produced, written & directed by Neal Livingston, 1978

Through the 1980's in every Canadian province east of Saskatchewan, except Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, chemical insecticides are sprayed from the air onto the forests to combat the spruce budworm and other forest insects.

This film, which is an earlier companion piece to Herbicide Trials, is about the politics and the environmental decision-making surrounding the aerial spraying controversy.

The focus is on the province of New Brunswick whose spraying, which began in 1952, was discussed in Rachel Carson's seminal work Silent Spring. It explores who both sprayers and anti-sprayers are, the role of government, the economics and the health issues surround the aerial application of insecticides.

The film also examines how this all influenced Nova Scotia's decision not to begin an insecticide spraying program.

In October 1978 Budworks was featured in "What's Happening?" a weekly series of new films of provocative social and political interest at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Budworks (1978) from Neal Livingston on Vimeo.