One man’s fight for a fair price in the coffee trade

BLACK GOLD by Marc and Nick Francis (74 min) 2006

“As westerners revel in designer lattes and cappuccinos, impoverished Ethiopian coffee growers suffer the bitter taste of injustice.”

While the wealthy parts of the world delight in exotic coffees, Ethiopian coffee farmers aren’t paid enough to feed their families and send their children to school. This riveting film tells the story of one man’s fight to obtain a fair price for his farmers’ coffee on the world market. As Tadesse Meskela travels to London and Seattle, the unfair trade practices of the multi-nationals and the World Trade Organization become obvious.

The film is guaranteed to raise your awareness about the coffee you drink and will hopefully lead you to decide to buy only freely traded coffee.

The Milagro Beanfield War

“Milagro” is the Spanish word for “miracle”

THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR by Robert Redford (117 min) 1988

“Whimsical, yet credible”

This enjoyable tale of a small village’s fight over water rights is told with magical realism and humor. The residents of a small humble New Mexican agricultural community are threatened when big business appropriates their water rights to supply a posh housing development, thus depriving them of their one source of livelihood, crop raising. One man courageously stands up to fight the usurpers and causes division within the community.

Stars Ruben Blades, Sonia Braga, Melanie Griffith, Daniel Stern and John Heard.

” … a populist fable set in some beautiful New Mexican landscapes about one stubborn Chicano’s battle against an uncaring system.” The New York Times