Black Gold (2006)

An in-depth look at the world of coffee and global trade.

Directors:

Marc J. Francis (as Marc Francis), Nick Francis

Writer:

Marc J. Francis (as Marc Francis)

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Storyline

An in-depth look at the world of coffee and global trade.

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Plot Keywords:

coffee | color in title | fair trade | business | farmer | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official film site [United Kingdom] Speakit Films

Country:

UK USA

Language:

Amharic Italian English

Release Date:

8 June 2007 (UK)

Also Known As:

Aurul negru

Filming Locations:

Cancún, Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,764, 8 October 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$93,477, 18 March 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fulcrum Productions,Speakit Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Took three years to make.

User Reviews

Uninspired but informative.

If you didn't already know that coffee is big business, then Nick and Mark Francis's documentary should hammer that fact in. "Black Gold" could have quite easily become another impassioned and reckless rail against globalisation but you get the sense that the brothers kept their eyes on the numbers, and directed from their head and not their hearts. Therein lies the film's main problem – facts are boring. It's neither harrowing nor heartfelt. The documentary is bluntly informative of the disparate levels in income of the Ethiopian farmers and the corporations that buy the beans from them on the cheap, and it's quite competent in enlightening consumers of the buried cost of a $5 latte. And on that level, it succeeds. Somewhat admirably, they lionise the Ethiopian people, both the underpaid farmers and the ones who refuse to partake in the hopeless work. But you can also observe that the Francis brothers were hoping for something more from their primary subject, Tadesse Meskela, a high-level representative from the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union. The directors do place him on a pedestal for most of the film, even to the extent of including an embarrassingly effusive interview from Meskela's wife as the man proudly looks on.