Compiled by FTRN Intern Sarah Culler with additional input by Kate Fischer (Last Updated Oct ‘07) FILMS ABOUT FAIR TRADE COFFEE(In order of film duration) Films are great educational tools, offering viewers opportunities to better understand the ways in which products are grown and/or processed. More importantly, the films below exhibit the strong connections that we have with those who make the goods we use and the food we eat.
Pura Video Coffee ~ 7 minutes ~ 2006 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “This brief film is about Pura Vida Coffee, a Seattle company that uses its profits to support children in need around the world.” Company Covered: Pura Vida Coffee Summary/Review: “Get a powerful glimpse into the efforts of these courageous social entrepreneurs who use the world’s second largest traded commodity and the world’s favorite sport to assist the world’s most valuable resource… in essence, Shifting Capitalism to Create Good!” – TransFair USA
Equal Exchange ~ 13 minutes ~ 2005 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “For those seeking a very brief introduction to Fair Trade coffee, Awaken Your Consciousness can be an effective tool for ‘creating a buzz’ about social change.” Company Covered: Equal Exchange Summary/Review: This film offers a brief introduction to Fair Trade practices, focusing on long-term relationships based on fairness. Equal Exchange contrasts the positive impact of Fair Trade with the detrimental impact of conventional farming practices, which wreck havoc on the environment and farmers’ families and communities. Watch the video online or order it free from Equal Exchange.
Catholic Relief Services ~ 15 minutes ~ 2005 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “Short, but packed with ways in which you can make a difference for Nicaraguan coffee farmers.” Organization Covered: Catholic Relief Services Summary/Review: This 15-minute multi-media presentation introduces you to the farmers who grow your coffee in Nicaragua, explains what Catholic Relief Services is doing to support them, and suggests eight ways you can help.
Frontline; PBS ~ 18 minutes ~ 2000 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “While a bit older than other videos, this Frontline report can offer insight into the impact of the ‘coffee crisis.’” Companies Covered: Green Mountain Coffee Company; Newman’s Organics Summary/Review: A Frontline reporter follows a group of U.S. coffee buyers to Guatemala and Mexico during the “coffee crisis,” when the commodity price of coffee significantly plunged. The U.S. buyers collect concrete information about the wide discrepancy in the prices farmers receive for coffee. While some conventional farmers received only $.07 a pound, those connected with Fair Trade get about $1.26 a pound. The film delicately highlights the positive impact Fair Trade has by cutting out the middlemen, whom the farmers have decoratively named “coyotes”.
Consumers International ~ 20 minutes ~ 2006 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “This documentary follows coffee from a fazenda in Brazil to mass retailers in the U.S. and Europe. Great for people who want a deeper understanding of the coffee chain.” Summary/Review: This documentary was created to accompany a Consumers International report: “From bean to cup: how consumer choice impacts upon coffee producers and the environment.” The documentary includes interviews with coffee farmers, consumer organizations, market experts, and members of the international community. The film is free to educational groups and NGOs, and $5 for others. Order a copy by emailing Luke Upchurch. The trailer and report are available here.
Lutheran World Relief ~ 22.5 min cartoon ~ 2000 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “The cartoon, Mr. Beans, ‘spills the beans’ about where he comes from and how he reaches consumers.” Company Covered: Equal Exchange Summary/Review: Mr. Bean explains that consumers can do right by the farmers by purchasing Fair Trade coffee like Equal Exchange, partner of the Lutheran World Relief Coffee project. Borrow it free by calling 1-800-LWR-LWR-2.
Chiapas Media Project ~ 27 minutes ~ 2000 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “The Strength of the Indigenous People of the Mut Vitz is useful to those seeking to learn more about the coffee production process and this courageous cooperative’s achievements through Fair Trade.” Summary/Review: Organic coffee production is an intricate process from producers. This film traces each step of the process – from planting seeds and soil development to harvesting, shelling, washing and drying, ending in packaging and exporting. The video shows us the challenges and achievements encountered by this cooperative of more than 1,000 members. Buy the film at Global Exchange
John De Graaf ~ 55 minutes ~ 2006 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “This high quality documentary offers a balanced look into product certification – of Fair Trade coffee and timber – and the essential role it plays in today’s global economy.” Summary/Review: Buyer Be Fair takes viewers to Mexico, the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, the USA and Canada to explore how conscious consumers and businesses can use the market to promote social justice and environmental sustainability through product labeling, with a focus on Fair Trade coffee and Forest Stewardship Council certified wood. This television special reaches beyond the choir to present the promise of product certification to a wide audience.
Old Dog Documentaries ~ 56 minutes ~ 2005 ~ General Audiences and Academic Settings FTRN says: “Birdsong and Coffee is a high-quality, moving and informative documentary exhibiting the interdependence of producers, consumers, and the ecosystem.” Summary/Review: Birdsong and Coffee uses a series of interviews to communicate the sincere, respectful relationship that exists through Fair Trade among the parties involved in coffee production. In this film we hear from experts and students, from coffee lovers and bird lovers, and-most importantly-from coffee farmers themselves. We learn how their lives and ours are inextricably linked, economically and environmentally. Buy the film and access its companion discussion guide.
Mark and Nick Francis ~ 77 minutes ~ 2005 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “This highly recommended, award-winning documentary has captured the dilemma of the coffee farmer: how to get a fair price for quality coffee in a market that is set up only to make money for powerful international traders in cities far from the farm.” Summary/Review: Black Gold follows Tadesse Meskela, the leader of an Ethiopian coffee cooperative, on his travels through Africa and around the world seeking a fair price for the coffee grown by cooperative members before they are forced to declare bankruptcy. Meskela travels to London and Seattle in an attempt to find a coffee buyer willing to pay a fair price, while the film documents the enormous power of world coffee traders and the double-dealing of trade ministers during World Trade Organization talks. Buy the DVD Find out more online
Now on DVD FTRN says: As spring cleaning forces us to evaluate the junk we’ve accumulated throughout the year, WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY? is the perfect tool to remind friends and family that we can change our shopping habits and make an impact in the long term. Summary/Review: Ron VanAlkemade’s critically acclaimed documentary battles the harmful practices of Big Box stores, rising credit card debt, labor exploitation and rampant over-consumption - with the help ofoutrageous activists/performers, the Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. The DVD will be in stores May 20th and is available for pre-order now. The SweatFree Communities network saves $5 by ordering online . If buying 10 or more, contact liana@sweatfree.org for a bulk discount. - FILMS ABOUT OTHER FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS(In order of film duration)
TransFair USA ~ 8 minutes ~ 2006 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “Produced by TransFair USA, this short film provides an excellent overview of Fair Trade certification – how it works, what it does, and what it means to producers around the world.” Summary/Review: TransFair USA talks with farmers in countries of origin to understand how Fair Trade has benefitted them personally, allowing them to send their children to school or to work without chemicals. The producers also talk to retailers in the United States to understand the power of the consumer to effect change just by paying attention to the products they buy every day.
Mark Batey ~ 9 minutes ~ 2007 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “Produced in the UK, this short presents a colorful look into the process of getting Fair Trade products from villages to warehouses to retail outlets, following a volunteer as she looks at the process firsthand.” Summary/Review: A Traidcraft volunteer gets a chance to meet a group of women in Bangladesh who produce some of the goods she sells. She discovers that Fair Trade has empowered communities like the one she visits where community members have installed proper sanitation facilities, better housing, schools, and proper meals. The film also highlights the way Fair Trade has contributed to women claiming their voice in their community.
Created by Jody Milano ~ 15 minutes ~ 2005 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “Ants the Moved Mountains is an inspirational tale of a model producer cooperative formed in the aftermath of hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua.” Summary/Review: The film credits the Nicaraguan women of the Nueva Vida cooperative with a strong work ethic and a powerful desire to succeed. This short film exhibits how true collaboration can lead empower all partners in the process.
Lisa Stratton ~ 17 minutes ~ 2006 ~ General Audience FTRN says: “The Power of Trading Fairly is a great learning tool, offering viewers a glimpse of the practices and experiences of three groups of Fair Trade producers in different corners of the world.” Summary/Review: The Power of Trading Fairly showcases three stories of established, long-term partnerships with artisan groups in Kenya (stonework), Guatemala (beadwork) and Bangladesh (palm work). These Fair Trade partnerships provide sustained hope for producers as they build their communities together.
Comic Relief ~ Multiple lengths ~ 2005 ~ Children FTRN says: “Recommended for its appeal to audiences of all levels, including children.” Summary/Review: This DVD accompanies a series of educational tools and photographs produced for British schoolteachers to aid in teaching primary school children about Fair Trade and Ghanaian cocoa growers. “Pa Pa Paa” is an informative film presenting facts about the process of harvesting, processing and selling cocoa.
Carolyn Barnwell ~ 2006 ~ ENGAGE Video Journey ~ General Audience FTRN says: This award-winning anthropologist’s documentary film looks at Fair Trade-certified rice farmers in Northern Thailand. Summary/Review: Barnwell travels through Northern Thailand to speak with organic rice farmers who are practicing sustainable agriculture and are Fair Trade-certified. The film documents the benefits of putting people at the center of trade and shows how their environment, their health, and their way of life, as well as the health of rice consumers, has improved in recent years. Barnwell received the Carrie Hunter-Tate Award from the American Anthropological Association in 2007 for her research with organic rice farming communities in Thailand.
Kelly Saxbery & Ron Harpelle ~ 47 minutes ~ Shebandowan Films ~ General Audience FTRN says: “This award-winning film, filmed in Canada, the United States, Honduras, and France explores the connections, or lack thereof, between consumers and producers of bananas.” Summary/Review: Each copy of the film comes with an educator’s guide; more information on integrating Banana Split into the classroom is available in both English and French from Shebandowan Films. As one of the cheapest, most readily available fruits in the supermarket, this film provides an important look at understanding “the curvaceous fruit from the herbaceous plant.” Order the DVD in English or French More Fair Trade videos are available on YouTube, but these films have not been reviewed by FTRN. |
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