The first documentary on my festival list this year was Black Gold. I must admit that this was one I put on my list more because I felt I should see it (being the great consumer of coffee that I am) than because I wanted to, or thought it would be a great film. Happily for me I was proved wrong.

Black Gold looks at the inner workings of the coffee trade and critiques the impact of global trade ‘agreements’ and practices on developing nations. Brothers Nick and Marc Francis achieve these aims by simultaneously drawing the viewer into a compelling documentary narrative. This is no mere bag of facts and statistics thrown about cleverly to confuse and overwhelm – an approach which more often than not fails to connect an often willing audience. Black Gold weaves its incredibly important macro-issues around the personal story of Ethiopian coffee agent, Tadesse Meskela, who attempts, on behalf of a large number of cooperative farming groups in Southern Ethiopia, to gain a price for their coffee higher than that of the cost of production.

We are shown footage of the big export warehouses which sit full until a buyer can be found, a meeting of the cooperative farmers to discuss the new strategy of circumventing the New York commodities market system which controls most world coffee prices, the impoverished villages and families of the those whose crops no longer make them enough to live, to footage of Tadesse heading to the UK and Europe on a mission to secure fairer trading partners.

Spliced around his unfolding tale is the broader story of coffee culture and consumption around the developed world. There is even footage form the World Trade Organisation summit of a couple of years ago where all the African nations walked out after feeling their concerns had been ignored by the ‘major powers’.

In addition to making a compelling film (with his brother), co-filmmaker Nick Francis was on hand to: introduce the film, front a Q&A session in the theatre post screening, then take part in a discussion panel hosted in St Matthews in the City, over the road. Though there was the usual raft of wankerish, my-pet-theory-couched-as-a-question, Francis managed to enlighten us as to the timelines of the footage, the reasons for the subject and region chosen, and their plans for broadening the release of the film.

All people should see at least one film like this. The issues addressed implicate us all in an ongoing, overwhelming tragedy that we would often rather not have to face – not that this changes the situation for those in countries less fortunate than our own. If you have a concern about poverty, the global impact of our culture of over-consumption, or the far-reaching effects of our nations’ foreign policies then please let Black Gold start kick-start your process of enlightenment. An interest in coffee is not a prerequisite to enjoy or access this film, though the film may affect your purchasing decisions if you do enjoy the odd shot or three.—Jacob Powell