Black Gold
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Marc Francis
Tadesse Meskela
Dr. Ernesto Illy
Ayela Abate
Mesfin Abebe
Gerard Abeille
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
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 lattes and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields. Nowhere is this 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 Tadesse's journey to London and Seattle, the enormous power of the multinational players that dominate the world's coffee trade becomes apparent. New York commodity traders, the international coffee exchanges, and the double dealings of trade ministers at the World Trade Organisation reveal the many challenges Tadesse faces in his quest for a long term solution for his farmers.
Crew
Ayela Abate
Mesfin Abebe
Gerard Abeille
Finn Aberdein
Nick Adams
Ross Aitken
Omar Alasow
Michael Asfaw
Meseret Ashebir
Mehari Azene
Zelalem Banti
Donna Blackburn
Rachel Blain
Candice Blonde
Sean Clauson
Ben Cole
Jim Dummett
Susanna Edjang
Robin Fellows
Assefa Feyisa
Marc Francis
Marc Francis
Nick Francis
Nick Francis
Habtamu Haddis
Abdullahi Haji
Isabel Hallett
Seyoum Hameso
Charlotte Haworth Hird
Andrew Herwitz
Christopher Hird
Issago Kaloga
Andreas Kapsalis
Rob Kendall
Sandra Leeming
Claire Lewis
Yoseph Mengistu
Andrew Mesfin
Martha Mogus
Tim Sandusky
Rob Schneiderman
Assefa Sumoro
Merid Tadesse
Tamirat Tesfaye
Oistein Thorsen
Esther Tobin
Ormond Uren
Atrie Weno
Hugh Williams
Ermias Woldeamlak
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Limited Release in United States October 6, 2006
Released in United States 2006
Released in United States Fall October 6, 2006
Released in United States February 2007
Released in United States January 12, 2007
Released in United States January 2006
Released in United States October 2006
Shown at Berlin International Film Festival (Eat, Drink, See Movies) February 8-18, 2007.
Shown at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival April 28-May 7, 2006.
Shown at London Film Festival (New British Cinema) October 18-November 2, 2006.
Shown at Rome Film Festival (Extra) October 13-21, 2006.
Shown at Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Documentary Competition) January 19-29, 2006.
Aired in USA on PBS Networks on April 10, 2007 as part of the "Independent Lens" series of Documentaries.
Released in United States 2006 (Shown at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival April 28-May 7, 2006.)
Released in United States 2006 (Shown at London Film Festival (New British Cinema) October 18-November 2, 2006.)
Released in United States January 2006 (Shown at Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Documentary Competition) January 19-29, 2006.)
Released in United States January 12, 2007 (Los Angeles)
Released in United States February 2007 (Shown at Berlin International Film Festival (Eat, Drink, See Movies) February 8-18, 2007.)
Released in United States October 2006 (Shown at Rome Film Festival (Extra) October 13-21, 2006.)
Limited Release in United States October 6, 2006
Released in United States Fall October 6, 2006
