The Anglo-Ethiopian Society
Film - Black Gold
London Film Festival - Ritzy Cinema
Thursday 26th October 2006
An exploration of the global coffee industry (worth over $80 billion a year) provides the impetus for Black Gold, a politically direct and vital documentary from filmmakers Marc and Nick Francis which will certainly leave viewers with plenty to stew on when next ordering a latte or cappuccino. As profits for multinational coffee companies continue to increase, the price paid for coffee harvests have fallen to such an extent that farmers in some of the world's poorest countries are forced to abandon their crops. Ethiopia, recognised as the birthplace of coffee, is one of the hardest hit countries, and the film follows Tadesse Meskela, General Manager of a co-operative union that represents some 70,000 struggling Ethiopian farmers, as he goes on an international campaign to promote the plight of his members and seek to establish a fair trade market for their produce. The film takes us to the coffee commodity exchanges in New York and London, where daily prices are set, and to a branch of Starbucks, illustrating how the customers' demand for coffee has grown in the last decade.
Michael Hayden
Film is showing at the NFT 2 on Friday 20th October 2006 at 6.15pm
NFT:
Booking: telephone 020 7928 3232 or online via London Film Festival Website. Tickets - £8.50
Ritzy Cinema: Booking: telephone 020 7222 1234 or online via London Film Festival Website. Tickets - £8.50
More details about the film are available at the Black Gold Movie website.
A list of future UK Screenings is also available.