What is Unmasking Influence about?

Unmasking Influence is a film about how corporations influence policy and public health. It was produced by two members of the Commercial Determinants Research Group, Dr May van Schalkwyk and Professor Mark Petticrew and was funded through the SPECTRUM Consortium*.

Powerful commercial actors and the actions they take, affect us all, every day of our lives – many are undermining our health, our choices as individuals and as communities, and the sustainability of the planet. They shape what we see, eat, and do, and the science and laws that govern our societies. Yet we hardly talk about them or challenge the way they have become so powerful.

Unmasking Influence brings the commercial influences that are shaping our world out of the shadows through the expertise and experiences of people who work to expose and counter these forces. It aims to show, using examples from the tobacco, food, alcohol, pesticides, and other industries, why addressing these harmful commercial determinants of health is the major public health issue of our time and why policymakers must act.

* The SPECTRUM Consortium was funded (2019-2025) through the UK Prevention Research Partnership (grant reference MR/S037519/1), an initiative funded by UK Research and Innovation Councils, the Department of Health and Social Care (England) and the UK devolved administrations, and leading health research charities.

Why make a film about corporate influence on policy and public health?

There is overwhelming evidence showing how some industries have systematically undermined science, policy, and public health, driving harm and widening inequities. We need to make sure this evidence can help catalyse change and is used to prevent this harm from continuing to happen. That requires making the issues visible and relatable to diverse audiences. Film is a uniquely powerful medium for this task, translating data and research into stories that reveal the mechanisms of influence and the consequences of conflicts of interest.

Films have the ability to inspire, motivate, and challenge entrenched thinking. They connect with audiences emotionally and intellectually, enabling policymakers, researchers, and the public to see the realities of corporate power and imagine different possibilities.

Corporate actors have long understood this power. Industries such as fossil fuels, tobacco, automotive, and chemicals have invested heavily in film to shape public opinion and protect their interests. Counter-narratives, grounded in evidence, are vital to expose these strategies and to challenge their influence.

There is a strong tradition of impactful films that have done this successfully. These works demonstrate that film can both reveal hidden harms and mobilise action for change.

Addressing the commercial determinants of health without film is like practising medicine without imaging – the problem remains invisible to many, and solutions are harder to define. Future filmmaking should not only diagnose the problem but also document progress towards dismantling conflicts of interest and freeing policy and science from corporate influence.

Watch Unmasking Influence

Unmasking Influence is available to watch via the LSHTM Vimeo channel: https://vimeo.com/1131660477. 

Promoting Unmasking Influence

Promote Unmasking Influence using the official trailer https://vimeo.com/1123819285.

Umasking Influence's journey so far

The journey started in Dublin where, thanks to Paula Leonard and Orla Fagan, Unmasking Influence was first screened at the Irish Film Institute. This was followed by a thought-provoking discussion, including reflections on the role of the academic community in protecting research and education from harmful commercial influence. It was at this first screening that the i-Mark for academics and researchers – an important initiative established by Paula building on the original i-Mark– was launched. The i-Mark and Unmasking Influence share a common call for independence from harmful industry influence. Unmasking influence then made its way to London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). This screening brought together many of the film’s brilliant interviewees and director, John Kelly, to discuss topics covered in the film, including commonalities across harmful industry strategies and the importance of stories in bringing about positive change.

Unmasking Influence then travelled to Ghana, where it was shared with staff and students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi thanks to Arti Singh and her wonderful team. The screening stimulated an insightful discussion.

Next, Unmasking Influence went online to contribute to FASD awareness month. This screening was following by a panel discussion chaired by Paula where Maggie May, Sarah Brennan, and Patti Rundall generously shared their wealth of expertise and experiences, and spoke powerfully about the unjust blaming of mothers and families for commercially driven harms and the need to work collaboratively to counter the influence of harmful industries.

Unmasking Influence then made its way to Belfast for a screening co-hosted by Queens University Belfast, the Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action (QUB), and Alcohol Forum Ireland. The screening took place at Queens Film Theatre followed by a plenary discussion hosted by BBC NI journalist Declan Harvey. The panel included Paula Leonard Siobhan Cullen Gillian Shorter annie campbell and the films co-executive producers May van Schalkwyk and Mark Petticrew.

It was then off to Copenhagen, where Unmasking Influence was screened twice at UN City. The first screening took place as part of the “Communicating for Impact” event, a joint event of WHO Regional Office for Europe, JA PreventNCD and JACARDI, bringing together communicators from ministries of health and partners. The second screening formed part of the high-level launch of the IARC Handbook on Alcohol and Cancer.

Unmasking Influence than made its way to Edinburgh, for a screening co-hosted by the Global Health Policy Unit and the Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention, the University of Edinburgh. This was followed by Q&A with panellists Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston, May van Schalkwyk, Keith Tyrell Lindsay Jaacks, Kathrin Lauber, PhD, Linda Bauld, Nason Maani.

Before its public release on the 3rd of November 2025, a final screening was held for students at LSHTM as part of the Issues in Public Health module.

We will continue to update this journey as Unmasking Influences travels across the world and reaches different audiences.

Share how you are using Unmasking Influence

Please do let us know how you have used Unmasking influence. Please use the below link to tell us if you have held screenings of Unmasking Influence and used it for education or advocacy purposes. We would love to hear from you and about your experiences, and how the film was received!

Research that inspired Unmasking Influence

• Lancet Series on the Commercial Determinants of Health: https://www.thelancet.com/series-do/commercial-determinants-health
• Lancet Breastfeeding series: https://www.thelancet.com/series-do/breastfeeding-2023
• Hawkins, Ben; Holden, Chris (2013). ‘Water dripping on stone’? Industry lobbying and UK alcohol policy. Policy and politics, 42 (1). pp. 55-70. ISSN 0305-5736 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1332/030557312x655468
• Hawkins, Benjamin; Holden, Chris (2013). Framing the alcohol policy debate: industry actors and the regulation of the UK beverage alcohol market. Critical Policy Studies, 7 (1). pp. 53-71. ISSN 1946-0171 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2013.766023
• van Beemen, Olivier. Heineken in Africa: A Multinational Unleashed. Trans. by Bram Posthumus. London: Hurst & Company, 2019.
• van Tulleken C. Overdiagnosis and industry influence: how cow’s milk protein allergy is extending the reach of infant formula manufacturers BMJ 2018; 363 :k5056 doi:10.1136/bmj.k5056
• van Schalkwyk MCI, Petticrew M, Maani N, Hawkins B, Bonell C, Katikireddi SV, Knai C. Distilling the curriculum: An analysis of alcohol industry-funded school-based youth education programmes. PLoS One. 2022 Jan 12;17(1):e0259560. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259560
• Maani N, van Schalkwyk MCI, Fillipis FT, Knai C, Petticrew M. Manufacturing doubt: Assessing the effects of independent vs industry-sponsored messaging about the harms of fossil fuels, smoking, alcohol, and sugar sweetened beverages . SSM Popul Health  2021 Dec 23:17:101009  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35036514/
• Knai C et al. Systems Thinking as a Framework for Analyzing Commercial Determinants of Health. Milbank Q 2018 Sep;96(3):472-498 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30277610/
• Hastings G. Hyperconsumption: Corporate Marketing vs. the Planet. Routledge 2022
• Zenone M, Kenworthy N, Maani N. The social media industry as a commercial determinant of health. International Journal of Health Policy and Management. 2022 Apr 27;12:6840. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10125226/
• Spin the bottle: How the UK alcohol industry twists the facts on harm and responsibility. Institute Studies, June 2025: https://www.ias.org.uk/publications/
• Palmer G. The Politics of Breastfeeding: When Breasts are Bad for Business.  Pinter & Martin Ltd 2009

Meta (then Facebook) Internal documents:

• All news stories from the internal documents: https://facebookpapers.com/
• Access to documents themselves: https://fbarchive.org/collection

Meta legal threats/lawsuits/intimidation:

• https://brightdata.com/blog/general/meta-dismisses-claim-against-bright-data
• https://www.npr.org/2021/08/04/1024791053/facebook-boots-nyu-disinformation-researchers-off-its-platform-and-critics-cry-f
• https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/facebooks-attack-research-everyones-problem?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/23/21531232/facebook-nyu-ads-politics-data-election

Education packs for use alongside Unmasking Influence

Coming soon: Stay tuned for downloadable education packs to use alongside Unmasking Influence

Meet some of the people involved in making Unmasking Influence

Mark Petticrew (Co-executive producer)

Mark Petticrew is Professor of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). His main research interests are in evidence-based policymaking, and health inequalities. His research has a particular focus on the commercial determinants of health – in particular, the influence of unhealthy commodity industries on health (e.g. through the promotion of tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy foods, and gambling products). Recent research includes analyses of misinformation disseminated by industry corporate social responsibility (CSR) bodies, and the common “playbook” which is used across these and other industries, including pharma, tech and digital media industries.

May van Schalkwyk (Co-executive producer)

May is a public health doctor and research fellow in commercial determinant in the Global Health Policy Unit and Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention at the University of Edinburgh. Her research aims to explain how commercial actors influence ideas, knowledge, science and policymaking. She publishes research on the tobacco, alcohol, gambling, fossil fuels, opioid, pesticide and firearm industries. She has a special interest in the role of film in public health policymaking, practice and advocacy.

Before transitioning into the field of public health research, May completed her post-graduate medical degree at the University of Sydney and has worked in the fields of malaria and cell-based immunotherapy research, HIV medicine, lung oncology and translational medicine. She entered specialty training in August 2016 as a Public Health Specialty Registrar and an Academic Clinical Fellow. In 2023, May completed her PhD on UK gambling policy and the gambling industry as a NIHR Doctoral Fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

May now works at the University of Edinburgh in the commercial determinants of health in the Global Health Policy Unit and the Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention. She is also an honorary research fellow with the Commercial Determinants of Research Group (CDRG) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and holds an honorary consultant position in Public Health Scotland.

John Kelly (Director and editor)

John Kelly is the director and editor of Unmasking Influence. He is an award-winning creative director and digital specialist with a passion for using film to drive positive social change. With a background that spans over a decade, he has a proven track record of creating powerful digital campaigns and films for national and international charities, including the Red Cross and Save the Children. As Digital Director at Wildfire Collective, he specialises in end-to-end film production, from content direction and scriptwriting to animation and sound design. Wildfire is a cause-led agency that partners with charities and businesses to provide integrated design, web, communications, and film services, driven by shared values to make creativity count and achieve lasting impact.

John's versatile skills, demonstrated through collaborations with major organisations, showcase his ability to distill complex topics into clear, engaging content that connects with global audiences.

Katherine Severi (interviewee)

Dr. Katherine Severi is the Chief Executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS), an independent charity dedicated to advancing evidence-based policy to reduce alcohol harm. Before joining IAS, Katherine gained valuable experience in the UK Civil Service and the charity sector.

She holds a Doctorate in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and a Master’s in Global Health and Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh. Her primary research focuses on the influence of corporations and managing conflicts of interest in public health policy.

Katherine serves in several advisory roles across key networks and committees, including the OHID Alcohol Advisory Group, the WHO Forum on Alcohol, Drugs, and Addictive Behaviours, the Alcohol Health Alliance, and Alcohol and Families Alliance. She is also an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Social and Political Sciences.

Marco Zenone (interviewee)

Marco Zenone (he/him) is an assistant professor of health science communication at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa. He completed his PhD in Public Health & Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London. He then completed his postdoctoral training as a banting postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia. Dr. Zenone’s research program examines the health disinformation economy. As well, he leads active research into understanding how public health topics are portrayed in online and public spaces. His research is guided by the commercial determinants of health.

Research lab website: www.zenonelab.ca

Bluesky: @marcozenone.bsky.social

X: @marco_zenone

Gerard Hastings (Interviewee)

Gerard Hastings is Professor Emeritus at Stirling University in Scotland. For the last four decades he has studied the damaging impacts that commercial marketing has on our health and wellbeing and the planet as whole, publishing his findings widely in academic and non-academic outlets. His new book is available in English Hyperconsumption: Corporate Marketing vs. the Planet and French L'Hyperconsommation nuit gravement à la planète.

Ben Hawkins (Interviewee)

Ben’s work focusses on the regulation and political strategies of health harming industries at the nationally and globally. His previous work examined the implications of international trade and investment agreements for the ability of national governments to enact effective health policies. In addition, he has examined the implications of European single market laws for the enactment of health policies within EU member states, focusing on a case study of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland. His work employs qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis and draws on framing and discourse theory.

Patti Rundell (Interviewee)

Patti Rundall, OBE, is Policy Director of Baby Milk Action and Global Advocacy spokesperson for IBFAN – the global coalition of over 300 civil society organisations working in 114 countries to protect child health from commercial misinformation. Patti started her career as an artist and teacher, but changed course in 1980 to help IBFAN’s advocacy for the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. This Code – the world’s first consumer protection Code – was adopted at the World Health Assembly in 1981 and has since been strengthened and clarified by 21 subsequent WHA resolutions that have kept this issue on the UN agenda. Patti has helped governments rebuff corporate pressure to trust the efficacy of voluntary codes and opt instead for legally binding regulations based on these UN resolutions.

When strong and well monitored, these laws have increased breastfeeding rates and saved millions of lives. Transparency and the need to safeguard policy setting, research and health systems from commercial influence, continue to be core themes and Patti has played a key role in the strengthening of EU baby food legislation, Codex global trading standards, the transparency and structure of the EU’s scientific advisory bodies and the adoption of new WHA Resolutions that keep pace with marketing developments. WHA49.15 in 1996 was the first WHA Resolution to call for COI safeguards in health care systems and led to the launch of the Conflicts of Interest Coalition and the strengthening of the Political Declaration on NCDs, first adopted at the UN General Assembly in 2011. As a keen advocate of networking , she founded the Baby Feeding Law Group, was a Trustee of Sustain and a leader of the International Nestlé Boycott. She also represented IBFAN on the EU’s Platform for Action on Diet and Physical Activity from 2007 to 2019. She was a founder of the interagency Infant Feeding in Emergencies Core Group that since 1999 has helped ensure that emergency responses are coordinated, not influenced by commercial agendas or exploited to create new markets for risky products. 

Watch other films by CDRG

Short films based on research produced by members of the CDRG are available via our YouTube and Vimeo channels: https://www.youtube.com/@cdohshortfilms6094 and https://vimeo.com/user247685406.

How to get in touch with Wildfire Collective

Contact Wildfire Collective.