Journalist Yasha Levine follows a lead on a water sale between a farmer and a small desert town—and discovers a hidden side to California’s healthy snack industry.

At the center of the story are Stewart and Lynda Resnick. They’re billionaires. They live in the flashiest mansion in Beverly Hills, have a monopoly on the pistachio trade, and have branded themselves as ‘The Wonderful Company,’ which now uses more water each year than the entire city of Los Angeles.

With Academy Award-winning writer, director, producer Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up) as Executive Producer, this fascinating investigative documentary from Journalist Yasha Levine and Filmmaker Rowan Wernham uncovers the environmental devastation caused by industrial agriculture and water mismanagement, the ties to the oil industry, including the use of chemically tainted wastewater for crop irrigation, and the massive lobbying efforts aimed at deregulating water and silencing environmental protections. The film also uncovers a shocking connection to U.S. foreign policy, including alliances with influential policy groups that have pushed for war with Iran — a direct competitor in the global pistachio trade.

It’s a road trip into the dark heart of the American Dream.

PISTACHIO WARS

Directed and Written By: Yasha Levine, Rowan Wernham

Produced by: Rowan Wernham, Thierry Jutel

Genre: Documentary, Environmental / Political

Language: English

Country: New Zealand, USA

Distributor: Watermelon Pictures

Run Time: 74 minutes