Black Gold (2006)

Directors:

Marc Francis
Nick Francis

Release Date:

8 June 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Coffee | Economics | Color In Title | Ethiopia | Business

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Directed by
Marc Francis
Nick Francis

Produced by
Sally Jo Fifer	....	executive producer
Cathy R. Fischer	....	senior producer
Marc Francis	....	producer
Nick Francis	....	producer
Craig Harris	....	coordinating producer
Christopher Hird	....	executive producer
Jen Kaczor	....	producer
Claire Lewis	....	associate producer
Helen Sam	....	associate producer
Oistein Thorsen	....	associate producer
Mary Ann Thyken	....	senior coordinating producer
Lois Vossen	....	series producer

Original Music by
Kunja Chatterton
Matt Coldrick
Andreas Kapsalis

Film Editing by
Hugh Williams

Production Management
Sandra Leeming	....	production manager

Art Department
Zinna Riley	....	designer
Rainey Straus	....	designer

Sound Department
Gerard Abeille	....	sound editor
Sean Clauson	....	additional sound
Robin Fellows	....	dubbing mixer
Habtamu Haddis	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Ben Cole	....	camera operator
Marc Francis	....	camera operator
Nick Francis	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Nick Adams	....	colorist
Jim Dummett	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Zach Brock	....	musician: strings
Jamie Galagher	....	musician: percussion
Darren Garvey	....	musician: percussion
Joe Henson	....	composer: additional music
Andreas Kapsalis	....	musician: acoustic guitar
Tim Sandusky	....	score mixer
Tim Sandusky	....	score recordist

Transportation Department
Mesfin Abebe	....	driver
Mehari Azene	....	driver
Tamirat Tesfaye	....	driver

Other crew
Ayela Abate	....	production assistant
Finn Aberdein	....	production assistant
Ross Aitken	....	runner
Omar Alasow	....	translator
Micheal Asfaw	....	translator
Meseret Ashebir	....	translator
Zelalem Banti	....	translator
Wendy Bardsley	....	developer
Andrea Bigger	....	release coordinator
Rachel Blain	....	translator
Candice Bonde	....	translator
Caitlin Clarke	....	executive assistant
Randall Cole	....	communications director
Susanna Edjang	....	translator
Winston Emano	....	publicist
Assefa Feyisa	....	translator
Abdullahi Haji	....	translator
Isabel Hallett	....	production assistant
Seyoum Hameso	....	translator
Charlotte Haworth Hird	....	translator
Susie Hernandez	....	broadcast director
Jen Kaczor	....	interactive director
Issago Kaloga	....	translator
Wilson Ling	....	communications coordinator
Alicia Lizama	....	operations coordinator
Mary Lugo	....	publicist
David Magdael	....	publicist
Yoseph Mengistu	....	translator
Andrew Mesfin	....	translator
Martha Mogus	....	production assistant
Nestor Osario	....	runner
Dennis Palmieri	....	communications manager
Zinna Riley	....	development
Rob Schneiderman	....	translator
Jim Sommers	....	communications
Kat Sripathy	....	production coordinator
Anne Stulz	....	publicist
Assefa Sumoro	....	translator
Merid Tadesse	....	translator
Judy Tam	....	chief financial officer
Esther Tobin	....	production assistant
Ormond Uren	....	translator
Lois Vossen	....	curator
Steven Wallace	....	publicist
Atrie Weno	....	translator
Cara White	....	publicist
Ermias Woldeamlak	....	production assistant
Aaron Zamost	....	contracts manager

Thanks
Furkan Ali	....	special thanks
Frederick Asamoa Appea	....	special thanks
Yossefa Assefa	....	special thanks
Madhia Azeen Khan	....	special thanks
Tewolde Berhan Egziabher	....	special thanks
Stefania Buonajuti	....	special thanks
Deborah Burton	....	special thanks
Justin Butcher	....	special thanks
Anders Dencker Christiansen	....	special thanks
Peter da Costa	....	special thanks
Emi Dagogo	....	special thanks
Inger Dybdal	....	special thanks
Kay Everett	....	special thanks
Dub Gelma	....	special thanks
Melaku Getatchew	....	special thanks
Tamrat Giorgis	....	special thanks
Jack Gold	....	special thanks
Al Green	....	special thanks
Sara Gwonyoma	....	special thanks
Getachew Haile	....	special thanks
Jo Hill	....	special thanks
Nada Jung	....	special thanks
Rebecca Keatinge	....	special thanks
Shannon Kelly	....	special thanks
Phudorji Lama Sherpa	....	special thanks
Belai Limeneh	....	special thanks
Dan McCallig	....	special thanks
Nebily Mekonnen	....	special thanks
Tadesse Meskela	....	special thanks
Ras Moye	....	special thanks
Gorgui Ndoye	....	special thanks
Berhanu Nega	....	special thanks
Wagdi Othman	....	special thanks
Anna Proulx	....	special thanks
Max Pugh	....	with thanks
Sacha Puttnam	....	thanks
Andy Ridgewell	....	special thanks
Olly Stern	....	special thanks
Alemseged Tegegne	....	special thanks
Filmon Tekle	....	special thanks
Kerem Temam	....	special thanks
Camilla Turner	....	special thanks
Gsail Warden	....	special thanks
Anthony Wild	....	special thanks
Seyoum Woldehanna	....	special thanks
Mesfin Wolde-Mariam	....	special thanks
Meskerem Woldeyohanis	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Fulcrum Productions
• Speak-it Productions

Distributors

• California Newsreel (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema Delicatessen (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• UPLINK Company (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• California Newsreel (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Dogwoof Pictures (2007) (UK) (all media)

Other Companies

• Docfactory  funding
• Studio Ballistico  score recording

Also Known As:

Black Gold: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (Australia)

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

Amharic | Italian | English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Cancún, Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Company:

Fulcrum Productions

Trivia:

Took three years to make.

A refreshing conversation starter

Black Gold doesn't shout at you, vilify any single corporation or government, or make you feel guilty about really liking coffee.

It does, however, invite you to see a very nuanced and sensitive view of an entire economic and social system that isn't working very well. This isn't "the anti-Starbucks movie" a la Supersize Me. This is a movie that starts the conversation about our trade system and the West's relationship with countries that feed us. Black Gold makes you want to get involved or inform yourself but doesn't map out exactly how, leaving it up to you. It isn't narrated by any off-screen voice overs and doesn't tell you exactly what to think.

I was fascinated to find out how coffee is grown and how small differences in price cause huge impact on farmers' families and communities. As a Washington, DC, resident I go out for Ethiopian food more than I order pizza, so I was glad to get a glimpse of what life is like in Ethiopia and how beautiful and lush the natural scenes are.

Please go see it because it's really enjoyable and thoughtful -- a refreshing new model for how to make a documentary.