(Mark & Nick Francis, UK 2006, 78 min., Beta-SP projection)

This new documentary is more eye-opening than a triple espresso. By contrasting thriving coffee shops in Europe and North America against devastatingly poor coffee farms in Ethiopia, the filmmakers shed light on the unfair trade and labor practices that have kept Africa mired in poverty for so long. Black Gold’s central figure is Tadesse Meskela, manager of a farmers’ cooperative. Traveling the world, he tries to negotiate fair prices and explain to Westerners that most of their coffee dollar is going into the pockets of commodities traders and multinational corporations. Co-presented by the Rochester Labor Council.

Black Gold also plays Saturday, February 3rd at 5 p.m. and Sunday, February 4th at 7 p.m.

Click here to watch the trailer at the Black Gold official website.