Visualising Safety: Film as Corporate Political Activity in the Pesticide Industry

Film has long been recognised as a powerful medium for shaping public narratives, influencing social norms, and stimulating policy change. Yet within critical policy studies, the strategic use of film by commercial actors remains under-examined. This study addresses this gap by analysing film as a form of corporate political activity (CPA), focusing on a film sponsored by a major pesticide manufacturer promoting the use of “safe storage” devices as a solution to pesticide self-poisoning, a leading cause of suicide in several low- and middle-income countries. By situating the film within wider debates on corporate influence, public health, and the politics of problem framing, the study examines how images, and in particular film, can shape policy discourse in ways that align with commercial interests. The analytical approach integrates theory and frameworks from critical visual analysis and industrial film studies. Critical visual analysis provides tools for interrogating imagery, affect, spatial organisation, and representational choices, while industrial film studies illuminate the historical and contemporary role of corporate-sponsored film in shaping public understanding of products, technologies, and social issues. Together, these perspectives enable a nuanced reading of how the film constructs expertise, positions its audience, and legitimises specific policy narratives, particularly those that shift responsibility for preventing pesticide self-poisoning from industry and regulators to individual households and communities.