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A Billion Lives

Play trailer Poster for A Billion Lives 2016 1h 35m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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40% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 97% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
The United Nations' World Health Organization projects that a billion people will die prematurely from smoking this century. In the next 20 years, there will be nearly 1.6 billion smokers around the world. This documentary takes a critical look at the history of smoking, and the corruption that's led to the current situation where safer, healthier alternatives are banned or heavily restricted in most countries.

Critics Reviews

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Neil Genzlinger New York Times 10/27/2016
The kind of documentary that asks you to accept one set of experts' version of things and reject another's, when you suspect that disinterested parties are probably rare on either side. Go to Full Review Kimber Myers Los Angeles Times 10/27/2016
"A Billion Lives" employs a variety of experts in relaying its message, but it sometimes feels like a statistic-filled, 95-minute commercial for the vaping industry rather than a feature-length documentary. Go to Full Review Daphne Howland Village Voice 10/26/2016
Demonstrating an egregious contempt for science, Biebert and his subjects attack the call for research into the effects of electronic cigarettes as nothing more than shilling for tax collectors and Big Pharma. Go to Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru 10/30/2016
6.01/10
Well-edited, captivating, fair and easy-to-follow, but it's ultimately not balanced enough to rise above more searing, powerful and haunting docs like Food, Inc. and Super Size Me. Go to Full Review Simon Foster Screen-Space (Substack) 06/30/2016
The solidly crafted three-act structure of Aaron Biebert's A Billion Lives provides a compelling, infuriating case study in big business dirty tricks. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Maggie C 02/03/2025 45+ years smoking, and nothing helped me stop until I discovered vaping. Now 15 years smoke-free. From my very first vape, I never wanted or had another cigarette. During all my smoking years, I had 1-2 debilitating lung infections every year without fail. I've had 1 in the past 15 smoke-free years. While the documentary didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, I'm very hopeful it can convince others that it's a much safer, healthier alternative to smoking. My own experience did convince my older brother to switch, and he'd been a much heavier smoker than I. I'm sure it's extended his life, because after switching he was able to get off oxygen and his rescue inhaler. See more 08/21/2020 Gives a solid background to the controversy over the deaths caused by smoking and how modern technology that's being shunned could save many lives. Very eye-opening to see who refused to be interviewed, which limited the film's ability to tell both sides of the story. See more 08/15/2020 Amazing way of showing how corrupt our government is and what money can buy. Regulations on vaping has nothing to do with children, its about money!!!! See more 02/17/2019 Superb documentary helping the misinformed & brainwashed see the other side of the screen in their room. It's time to wake up. If the audience of 179 gives 96% and the 5 x tomatoers only 40%, does this mean Tomatometer critics have other interests/ need a wake up too? See more 07/03/2017 One of the best documentarys ever made. It gets 40% on the tomato meter because it's outing a lot of people in high places. Watch this! See more 07/01/2017 This has been a very informational documentary. I have never gotten into any documentary, not even 10 minutes without getting super bored. Its not only due to the fact I am a vapor but also due to the fact there was so much information packed into one movie and I would recommend this to anyone. See more Read all reviews
A Billion Lives

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Cast & Crew

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Aaron Biebert

Director

Aaron Biebert

Executive Producer

James Shaw

Producer

Jennifer Biebert

Producer

Shem Biebert

Producer

Jesse Hieb

Producer

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A Billion Lives

A Billion Lives (2016) A Billion Lives (2016) A Billion Lives (2016) A scene from "A Billion Lives." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis The United Nations' World Health Organization projects that a billion people will die prematurely from smoking this century. In the next 20 years, there will be nearly 1.6 billion smokers around the world. This documentary takes a critical look at the history of smoking, and the corruption that's led to the current situation where safer, healthier alternatives are banned or heavily restricted in most countries.
Director
Aaron Biebert
Producer
James Shaw, Jennifer Biebert, Shem Biebert, Jesse Hieb
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 18, 2017
Runtime
1h 35m