A Billion Lives - A must-see movie for smokers

A Billion Lives is a documentary film directed and narrated by Aaron Biebert. It stars “Winston Man” David Goerlitz, former president of the World Medical Association Delon Human, and former executive director of the WHO Derak Yach.

According to the United Nations World Health Organization, one billion people will die prematurely from smoking this century. In twenty years, the world will have 1.6 billion smokers. A Billion Lives takes a critical look at the history of tobacco and the corruption that has led to safer, healthier products being banned or heavily regulated in many countries, while the tobacco trade remains protected.

The film exposes the conflicts of interest and corruption between government, big pharma and public health. It also explores the history of e-cigarettes and the role of Swedish vaping and SNUS technology in the current health crisis.

Official website: http://abillionlives.com/

Information: Wikipedia

The film is rated 9.3 on IMDb with many positive reviews.

Movie Summary

Audiences are confronted with the statement that “this century, an estimated one billion people will die from smoking” in the first few frames. The film goes on to provide a deeper look at the health effects of smoking, including the risk of lung cancer, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A Billion Lives continues with a history of the tobacco industry, focusing primarily on the efforts of tobacco companies to conceal the dangers of smoking. Many interviews feature former Winston spokesman David Goerlitz, who was the main model in a Winston advertising campaign that glamorized smoking, publicly denouncing the tobacco industry in the 1980s.

The second part of the film shifts focus from the tobacco industry to e-cigarettes and the vaping industry. Featuring interviews and talks with Dr. Derek Yach, former executive director of the WHO’s tobacco control department. Clive Bates, a prominent anti-tobacco activist, and many other experts. Biebert reports on the potential for e-cigarettes to save many of the billion lives lost to tobacco.

The final part of the film revolves around the tobacco industry’s efforts to prevent e-cigarettes from invading the money-making capabilities of the large multinational corporations involved. Giving reasons why many people are so critical of vaping, the third part of the film shows how money is essential to the tobacco industry’s survival.

Directly addressing the issue of the involvement of pharmaceutical corporations and the government in dealing with tobacco companies, the film shows why there is such a negative bias against vaping. Climaxing on a powerful analysis of how the tobacco industry holds the money, A Billion Lives covers a wide range of topics related to tobacco.

Develop

The documentary was developed by Biebert, a filmmaker and director from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A director and executive producer at Attention Era Media, Biebert has produced music videos, event films, sports films, and social films. A Billion Lives is his first feature film. Biebert became interested in vaping and the tobacco industry when he was looking for ideas for his first film.