This is Mark and Nick Francis’ first film and it is a brilliant little documentary. I say little because at an easily absorbed 78 minutes, it’s short if not sweet. It follows the trials of Tadesse Meskela, the leader of a co-op of Ethiopian coffee farmers in the fight for fair trade.

    In light with the growing awareness of environmental issues, specifically of fair-trade and thereby the effects of unfair trade, this film deserves to do really well in the UK. It is full of information but doesn’t overload us. It has poignancy and is certainly emotive but again, it doesn’t go too far. It is both educational and moving without being either boring or soul destroying – a massive feat for these virgin documentary makers.
    The press describes it as ‘awareness raising’ and that it certainly does achieve. I was unaware of the importance of coffee exports in the context of Ethiopia and here the Francis brothers shed light, for example, on the number of middle-men involved in the West’s purchase of coffee, resulting in the horrible disparity between what farmers get paid (a pittance) and what we end up paying (around £2) for the end result, a cup of coffee in the western world. 

    One of the film’s real successes is its focus. By concentrating on the situation in Ethiopia and following Meskela round the world in his efforts the film gives a strong, applied argument. It hints at the problems surrounding the trade of other produce and to Africa more generally, but cleverly avoids becoming any wider in its exposition than the film can hold. It could so easily have become a broader, probably wilder anti-globalisation stunt and instead they were absolutely right to tell one story and to tell it well.
    The only times where the imbalance of the film’s arguments are really felt are in its ridicule of coffee fanatics in the west, but this minor pitfall is completely forgiven on the grounds that these scenes are hilarious and so make the graver parts of the tale more effective. The (unfortunately) most memorable quote of the film comes from the manager of the first ever Starbucks, on the amazing growth of the corporation: “Not just how much bigger we’re getting, but the lives we’re touching”!

    A succinct and highly-entertaining documentary that should be watched by as many people as possible.

       Listen to an interview with Nick & Marc about the movie...