Marc Francis,\u00a0Nick Francis, 2006
\nUSA | 78′ (English with Japanese subtitles)
\nEver wonder who grows the beans in your morning jolt of java?\u00a0On Saturday, August 3, 2013 at 7:30\u00a0pm, CRS Community Films and \u00a0Think Coffee invite\u00a0you to screen and discuss BLACK GOLD. In their riveting,\u00a0critically acclaimed documentary, filmmaking brothers Nick and Marc Francis explore the complexities of the international coffee trade everywhere. Prior to the start of the screening, there will be a reception with light refreshments from 6 \u2013 7:30 pm.
\nJoining us will be Emily Piper (MA in Food Studies) and staff from our neighbors\u00a0Think Coffee\u00a0to discuss their own efforts to improve the lives of coffee farmers in Ethiopia. We\u00a0will be accepting donations in support of the Eleshu Kellensoo Mokonissa Primary School Library in Kellensoo, Ethiopia funded by Think Coffee and its partners\u00a0Nardos Exports & The Bushwick Seed Company.
\nThe screening is FREE but there is a suggested donation of $10+. Seating is limited and first come, first serve.
\nIn conjunction with the screening, the CRS Gallery will be exhibiting THINKING FORWARD:\u00a0photographs of people showing love for and trying to improve the lives of\u00a0the next generation, taken in\u00a0Kallensoo, Ethiopia\u00a0by members of the Think Coffee community and in Dhaka, Bangladesh by Tufts University student\u00a0Misako Ono. Proceeds from the sale of the photographs will also go to support the\u00a0Eleshu Kellensoo Mokonissa Primary School Library in Ethiopia.
\nMultinational coffee companies now rule our strip malls, supermarkets and urban corners and dominate an industry worth over $80 billion, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world\u00a0after oil. But while we pay high prices for our lattes and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their fields. No where is this paradox more evident\u00a0than in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee.
\nMore About the Film Black Gold
\nIn this movie,\u00a0we meet Tadesse Meskela, General Manager of the Oromo Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, and\u00a0a man on a mission to save his\u00a075,000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers strive to harvest some of the highest\u00a0quality beans on the international market, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing\u00a0to pay a fair price.\u00a0
\nThe challenges are complex and fair trade certifications and more favorable prices alone are insufficient to solve them. Learn from coffee buyers like those at Think Coffee who actually visit the farmers regularly and learn on the ground how we can create change that will actually improve people’s lives all along the chain of production.<\/p>\n
Black Gold: Trailer from Speakit on Vimeo.<\/p>\n
More About the Bushwick Seed Company’s\u00a0Project to Benefit Kellensoo
\nAt the Bushwick Seed Company, we believe in forming strong relationships with the coffee communities we work with. That means that we pay a fair price for our coffee and that means that we always travel to origin. \u00a0Sometimes we go beyond that.
\nThe people of Kellensoo are the first group of coffee farmers we ever sourced from. We wanted to collaborate with them on a community development project to help improve the life of the villagers.
\nProject Kellensoo is the result of that collaboration. After going to the village and listening to the concerns of parents, administrators and elders we pinpointed high drop out rates as the main area of intervention. \u00a0
\nProject Partners
\nProject Kellensoo is the joint venture of three companies: coffee importer\u00a0The Bushwick Seed Company, Nardos Coffee Exports and Think Coffee. \u00a0
\nNardos Coffee Exports is an Ethiopian coffee exporter whose founder is from the village of Kellensoo. \u00a0
\nThe Bushwick Seed Company\u00a0imports coffee beans from trees they have touched and from people they know personally. They physically follow and record all of their coffee, from the farms to the ships that deliver it, and operate in as transparent and ethical manner as possible for the benefit of the coffee growers and the planet.
\nThink Coffee is a New York-based coffee company that has bought coffee from the Kellensoo region in the past. For the past several years, Think Coffee has been an outstanding neighbor to CRS, contributing to the cost of our renovation in 2010 and never failing to act in a thoughtful and neighborly fashion. We are delighted to\u00a0have this opportunity to collaborate with them on a project dear to their hearts and ours.
\nProject Summary
\nProject Kellensoo is a three-phase mission to decrease school drop-out rates in the village of Kellensoo in Southern Ethiopia.
\nPhase one consists of the equipping of a library for the students of Kellensoo. Project funds will purchase tables, chairs, books, bookshelves, pens and paper to begin the supply of the library.\u00a0The building will then be weatherized to ensure against any damage from the elements. Finally, solar panels will be installed on the roof to maintain a reliable supply of power throughout the day and into the night.
\nPhase two involves the creation of an IT center in the library.\u00a0Project funds will be used to purchase seven computers from the United States. These computers will be shipped to Kellensoo and installed in the library. \u00a0Wireless connection will be established and the students will be able to make use of the computers to communicate all over the world.
\nPhase three will address the disparity between male and female drop out rates at the school. A leading reason for female absences is an inadequate supply of feminine hygiene products.\u00a0During their period, girls have to miss school. The resulting absence is often to difficult or discouraging to make up. The project seeks to secure a reliable and sustainable supply of feminine hygiene products for the girls of Kellensoo Junior School.
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
FILM+VIDEO SHOW & TELL provides a forum for local and independent filmmakers to share and discuss their work and ideas. \u2028
\nhttp:\/\/www.crsny.org\/film\u2028
\nhttp:\/\/www.meetup.com\/NYC-FILM-VIDEO-SHOW-TELL\/
\n\u00a0
\nAugust 20133 7:30 pm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Marc Francis,\u00a0Nick Francis, 2006 USA | 78′ (English with Japanese subtitles) Ever wonder who grows the beans in your morning jolt of java?\u00a0On Saturday, August 3, 2013 at 7:30\u00a0pm, CRS Community Films and \u00a0Think Coffee invite\u00a0you to screen and discuss BLACK GOLD. In their riveting,\u00a0critically acclaimed documentary, filmmaking brothers Nick and Marc Francis explore the complexities of the international coffee trade everywhere. Prior to the start of the screening, there will be a reception with light refreshments from 6 \u2013 7:30 pm. Joining us will be Emily Piper (MA in Food Studies) and staff from our neighbors\u00a0Think Coffee\u00a0to discuss their own efforts to improve the lives of coffee farmers in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2033,"template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[9],"class_list":["post-2030","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-crs","cat_crs"],"yoast_head":"\n