Chaos ensues when food supply exceeds demand—especially when consumer cravings alter the natural balance of native crops and cultivating practices.

From hand-picked bean to $3 cup, Black Gold offers an eye-opening exploration of the global coffee business—a ruthless $80 billion industry that’s made coffee the most valuable trading commodity after oil. Exposing the plight of struggling coffee farmers, Black Gold puts a human face on a systemic injustice largely ignored by caffeinated consumers in the developed world. (78 mins., video)

Darwin’s Nightmare is both savage and clear-eyed in its depiction of globalization and its winner-take-all attitude. The film’s focus is on the Nile perch—an alien fish species introduced into Tanzania’s Lake Victoria solely for export purposes. Since then, the fish has destroyed the lake’s ecosystem, leaving locals to survive on bones and rotting carcasses. (107 mins., 35mm)

Columbus’s own Global Gallery hosts a free fair-trade coffee tasting between films.

Darwin’s Nightmare begins at 9 PM.

Now What?*
After Black Gold and Darwin’s Nightmare, you can find out how to get started in changing your own food habits with brief presentations from Local Matters. Each offers ideas about how you can take immediate action on specific issues related to that film. Local Matters is a central Ohio not-for-profit that works to promote good nutrition, increase access to healthy, delicious local foods, and advocate for more equitable food policy.

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