Love them or hate them: rats are part of the urban fabric...and this is a study of the complex relationship between rodents and people in Baltimore.
In a province that claims to have no rats, it can be difficult to imagine their sheer numbers in many cities around the globe. But across walls, fences, and alleys, rats not only expose our boundaries of separation but also make homes in them. RAT FILM is a feature-length documentary that uses the rat – as well as the humans who love them, live with them, and kill them – to explore the history of Baltimore, a city with such a large rodent population that their garbage cans are even designed according to how high rats can jump. Expertly intertwining the rat infestation with the endemic poverty, segregation, and neglect that pepper the city's past and present, the film's message is summed up best by one of its participants: “There’s never been a rat problem in Baltimore, it’s always been a people problem.”
RAT FILM was co-produced by Sebastien Pardo and Riel Roch-Decter, a Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based producer. Connecting with audiences and juries on the festival circuit, the film has been the recipient of many awards and nominations including a jury award at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival.
Countries
United States- Awards
- Atlanta Film Festival, Jury Award; Sheffield International Documentary Festival, Youth Jury Award – Special Mention
- Festivals
- Rotterdam Film Festival, SXSW, True / False Film Festival
- Director
- Theo Anthony
- Producer
- Riel Roch-Decter, Sebastian Pardo
- Screenwriter
- Theo Anthony
- Cinematographer
- Theo Anthony
- Editor
- Theo Anthony
- Music
- Dan Deacon
- Cast
- Maureen Jones