Here is my audio interview with Canadian director Sharron Bates to talk about her documentary film "Strong Coffee: The Story of Cafe Femenino", a film selected to screen in the 2007 Calgary International Film Festival.
Here is the synopsis from the film's official website www.strongcoffeefilm.com
STRONG COFFEE tells the story of Cafe Femeninoâa revolutionary idea that is helping people in need all over the world. Cafe Femenino beans are the first and only coffee beans grown entirely by women farmers.
Remarkably, the Cafe Femenino project is helping to change long-established attitudes and weaken the grip of machismo in remote farming communities. In response, a cultural shift is taking place. There is more equality between women and men, abuse and violence towards women are decreasing, and the quality of life in these regions is improving.
To better understand this phenomenon, a small group of coffee roasters travel to Northern Peru to meet some of the impoverished women farmers who grow this high quality, certified organic, fair trade coffee. The film follows the roasters as they travel to remote villages to see how coffee beans are grown, picked, processed, and sold. We learn about the Peruvian womenâs struggles, their courage and incredible achievements, and meet some of the remarkable people involved in the formation of the Cafe Femenino project.
STRONG COFFEE also shows how Cafe Femenino helps women in our own communities. The documentary takes a peek at the billion dollar coffee industry from the perspective of Cafe Femenino and provides an interesting look at the power of the consumer dollar. STRONG COFFEE: The Story of Cafe Femenino is an uplifting, motivating, and inspiring film.
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