Christian Aid to Highlight Development Issues at London Film Festival

Christian Aid has welcomed the number of films highlighting development issues at this year's The Times BFI 50th London Film Festival.

Running from 18 October to 2 November 2006, the festival will feature Black Gold, which explores the coffee industry in Ethiopia, while Bamako charts the relationship between African countries and international financial institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In light of Christian Aid's recent campaigning success in lobbying the British Government to withhold UK funding from the World Bank and IMF until they reform, Bamako illustrates Christian Aid's stance, that many of these policies harm people in developing countries. Meanwhile Black Gold powerfully demonstrates trade is more important for Africa than aid.

Deborah Burton, global campaigner for Christian Aid said: "Feature films and documentaries are vital in raising broader debate on key international issues, and public appetite for them is growing. Black Gold and Bamako are two great examples and echo the trade and development issues Christian Aid has campaigned on for many years.

"Film-makers are pivotal in pushing the boundaries of debate, in this case the relationships between powerful rich nations and the developing world, and we're proud to have an association with both films at this year's Times BFI 50th London Film Festival."

The Christian Aid Trade Justice campaign was an early supporter of Black Gold, which is a documentary by brothers Marc and Nick Francis. The film tackles the global coffee industry, focusing on 70,000 struggling Ethiopian farmers as they struggle to establish a fairer trade market for their produce.

It follows the industry from harvest right the way to the coffee commodity exchanges in New York and London, where prices are set, and all the way to the high street coffee shops. As profits for the multinational coffee companies continue to rise, the price paid for harvests has fallen so dramatically that farmers have been forced to abandon their crops. As a result they have become more dependent on aid.

Black Gold will have its UK premier at the festival. It will be screened at the National Film Theatre 2 at 6.15pm on 20 October and at the Ritzy in Brixton at 6.30pm on 26 October.

Bamako, which has been chosen by the organisers of the festival for the world cinema gala, won critical acclaim when it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2006.

Set in Mali, but representing situations typical across the entire continent, the film puts the World Bank, IMF and WTO on trial. One by one ordinary Africans, an unemployed teacher, a farmer and a fabric dyer voice their anger at the disastrous policies imposed by the World Bank and IMF that have left their countries economically ruined.

Christian Aid, in conjunction with Sight & Sound magazine, will be hosting a panel debate - Eye on Africa - chaired by Bonnie Greer after the gala screening on Saturday 21 October. Panellists include the film's director Abderrahmane Sissako, the actor and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah, and the head of policy at Christian Aid, Charles Abugre.