FRIDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2010	INDEX
The Bitter Taste of Tea Tom Heinemann's The Bitter Taste of Tea (http://www.flipthecoin.org/ ) is a truly remarkable film. In many ways it is similar to Black Gold (the coffee film by Nick and Marc Francis) but it is more watchable, despite the fact that Heinemann says he is a journalist not a film maker. What makes it outstanding is the fact that Heinemann says it cost him £15k to make, including the post production, yet it has been shown by 15 tv channels. Now that is what I call budget film making. Its central point is that the Fairtrade system does more or less nothing for the tea pickers. The only people who get anything out of it are the tea estate bosses who swindle the workers and the middle class Europeans who run the system. Very depressing but not really surprising. Of course the film does look and sound a little old fashioned, even though much of it is shot hand held in what is the more or less obligatory documentary style. But it has clearly had a major impact and got the Fairtrade industry rattled. Even though it's quite likely nothing will change, it is a major achievement to confront such powerful commercial interests. To do it for £15k is quite extraordinary.
FRIDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2010	INDEX