OPENING FILM
Black Gold
(2006) 78 Min Dirs. Marc Francis and Nick Francis
Multinational coffee companies now rule our shopping malls and supermarkets and dominate the industry worth over 80$billion, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil. But while we continue to pay for our latteees and cappucinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields.
Nowhere is his paradox more evident than in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Tadesse Meskela is one man on a mission to save his 74, 000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price.
Against the backdrop of tadeee’s journey to London and Seattle, the enormous power of the multinational players that dominate the world’s coffee trade become apparent. New York commodity traders, the international coffee exchanges, and the double dealings of trade ministers at the World Trade Organization reveal the many challenges Tadesse faces in his quest for a long term solution for his farmers.
(http://blackgoldmovie.com/story)
Behind The Tents
(2012) 14 min. Dir. Jude Chehab, Lebanon
While many children in the west are either enjoying or hating their days at school, many children in the Bekaa Vallley of Lebanon are not given the choice or opportunity to attend school. These children pick potatoes for their living. Each day a bus arrives to take the children out into the field where they toil throughout the day.
They eat a simple lunch while continuing to work. The skilled young Lebanese director, Jude Chehab, reveals to us a life for children that we assumed no longer existed. Behind the Tents was nominated for 5 awards at the THIMUN Northwestern Film Festival in Qatar.
A Coffee Day
(2013) 7 min Dir. Amal Sajikumar, India
This small gem of a film opens a window about the individuals who frequent a Malayalam coffee shop during the day. Almost all of them leave paper money on the walls. Why do they do this? What is the significance of this act? We come to see that even in our self absorbed, self -indulgent world, we can still take a minute to improve the life of another human being.
Sixty Cups of Coffee
(2000) 8.55 min Dir. David Andrew Ward, USA
In this short film, a man decides to conduct an experiment using himself as the subject. He wants to see if drinking 60 cups of coffee will kill a person. He conducts the experiment in a café in small town Texas. He, as well as the onlookers, are both captivated and abhorred by his actions.
French Roast
(2008) 8 Min. Dir. Fabrice O. Joubert USA
An uptight businessman finds himself in a predicament when he attempts to pay for his coffee in a café, but he cannot find his wallet. This quirky, but highly entertaining animated film is both charming and captivating at the same time.
Babette’s Feast
(1987) 102 min. Dir. Gabriel Axel Dan.
A film based on the story by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), Babette’s Feast is a delight to the senses. Though coffee is only featured towards the end of the meal, the joy and delight of eating and drinking is delectably illustrated in this neo classic art house film.
In 19th Century Denmark two adult sisters live in an isolated, austere village with their father, who is the pastor of the protestant church. Their community is one that is piously religious and sombre. When a French refugee by the name of Babette is brought to their village, the kind sisters take her in. In return for their help and hospitality, Babette prefers a feast for them unlike no other.
Preview Trailer:
