Black Gold
In English, Amharic, and Oromifa with English subtitles • For many people coffee is an enjoyable part of daily routine; for Ethiopian coffee farmers it represents the corrupt side of a global economy that engages the labor of more than 15 million Ethiopians. Exposing the far-reaching consequences of the worldwide coffee business, Black Gold stops at the International Cupping Competition of Taste Testers before leading us to Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. There we meet Tadesse Meskela of the Oromo Coffee Farmers Co-op Union, which represents more than 70,000 impoverished Ethiopian coffee farmers. Meskela offers a compelling insider's look at the sub-standard labor conditions of the workers responsible for some of the best beans in the world. These scenes are juxtaposed with those of the marketplace, where exchanges set coffee prices to benefit Western corporations, whose consumers then get their two-buck cup. Marc and Nick Francis' intricate, elegant film will forever change the way you think about your double latte. — B. Peterson
Oxfam America has partnered with the US distributors of Black Gold to provide film viewers with opportunities to learn more about the international coffee crisis, and to take actions that address the plight of the impoverished coffee farmers in Ethiopia and other coffee-producing countries. For more information, visit Oxfam America's coffee campaign
Director: Mark Francis, Nick Francis
Producer: Christopher Hird
Screenwriter: Mark Francis, Nick Francis
Cinematographer: Mark Francis, Nick Francis
Editor: Hugh Williams
Print Source: Fulcrum Productions
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