Pistachio Wars

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 & Lynda Resnick. They’re billionaires. They live in the flashiest mansion in Beverly Hills and have a monopoly on the pistachio trade.

They’ve taken control of California's water—draining rivers, building plantations in the middle of a desert, leaving a trail of environmental collapse.

Towns ravaged by drought, farms built on oil fields, mass extinction, a water heist straight from the plot of Chinatown, and…war with Iran? It’s a road trip into the dark heart of the American Dream.

  • Yasha Levine
    Director
  • Rowan Wernham
    Director
  • Yasha Levine
    Writer
  • Rowan Wernham
    Writer
  • Rowan Wernham
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Environment, Politics, Food
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 20, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    150,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    New Zealand
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Doc Edge
    Christchurch
    New Zealand
    June 22, 2024
    National Premiere
    Special Mention: Best New Zealand Film, Winner: Best New Zealand Emerging Filmmaker
  • Ji Hlava
    Ji Hlava
    Czech Republic
    October 30, 2024
    International Premiere
    Winner: Best Film on Knowledge
Director Biography - Yasha Levine, Rowan Wernham

Yasha Levine is an investigative journalist who has covered California politics for over a decade. He is the author of Surveillance Valley, a book about Silicon Valley and the secret military history of the Internet. His work has been featured in Wired, Slate, The Nation, MSNBC and others.

Rowan Wernham is a New Zealand born designer & filmmaker. His debut feature ‘Pistachio Wars’ premiered at Doc Edge in 2024 where he was awarded ‘Best New Zealand Emerging Filmmaker’. His 2010 animated short 'x.o.genesis' screened at numerous festivals including Slamdance, Maryland, and Glasgow, and was a prize winner at the LA New Wave film festival.

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Director Statement

Recognition for Pistachio Wars:

“We wanted to specifically honour this documentary for its deep investigative reporting. At a time when we are seeing news organizations struggling worldwide, we deeply commend the filmmaking team for their rigorous independent investigation. Their commitment, persistence and tenacity in uncovering corporate malfeasance and making sense of a complex interplay of legal greed and environmental collapse, endangering people and planet, is worthy of special recognition.”
— Doc Edge Jury

"This fiercely independent documentary, supported through crowdfunding, follows the money behind California’s growing water emergency, and lands at the doorstep of pistachio tycoons who meddle with waterways, toxins, exploitative labour practices and global geopolitics to turn a wide profit on monocropping. This story unravels of a vast secret network of corruption, hiding in plain sight. For its razor sharp investigation, analysis and connecting the dots of a draught to corporate greed, we award the special mention for best film on Knowledge in the Testimonies category, to Pistachio Wars Rowan Wernham and Yasha Levine."
— Jihlava Jury

“Plays like a Chinatown for the age of global warming — complete with mystery, political corruption and at the center of it, the question we've confronted since civilization began: who gets the water?”
— Adam McKay
Director of Don’t Look Up, Vice, & The Big Short