Underplayed Gems

Bananas Unpeeled (2000)

Bananas Unpeeled poster
Directed by
Nick Shaw
Genre
documentary film
Country
United Kingdom
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

This documentary looks at the social and environmental problems facing banana plantation workers in the Caribbean and Latin America. It explores how fair trade policies and labeling offer a better alternative to harsh working conditions and environmental damage.

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What happens

Bananas Unpeeled is a 26-minute film shot in Latin America and the Caribbean, investigating the social and environmental issues faced by plantation workers and small farmers in the Caribbean. It examines fair trade policies and labeling as a positive alternative for workers on plantations where harsh working conditions and environmental damage are the norm. The film was made by independent film-maker Nick Shaw and introduced by the political activist and comedian Mark Thomas. This educational resource (the film and corresponding teacher action booklet) was quickly taken up by leading British NGO's (OXFAM, People & Planet). Used extensively by schools, universities, trade union organisations, etc., it helped with the introduction of the "fair trade banana" into Great Britain. The Co-Op UK supermarket chain was the first to introduce Fair trade Bananas into their stores. To date, several other supermarket chains have followed this example (e.g. Waitrose, Sainsbury's). The story behind the making of the film is mentioned in the 2008 book Fighting the Banana Wars and other Fairtrade Battles by Harriet Lamb, C.B.E., director of the Fairtrade Foundation (UK). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.