The Coca Cola Case
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Edmonton
Wednesday February 10, 2010
Screening begins 18h30
Venue: Engineering Teaching and Learning Complex (ETLC) 1-007 (U of A Campus, east of 116 St & north of 92 Ave)
Presented by Cinema Politica Edmonton, the Council of Canadians U of A Chapter and the Council of Canadians Edmonton Chapter.
The Coca Cola Case
A documentary about Coke and labour rights in the bottling plants.
German Gutierrez and Carmen Garcia / Canada / 2009 / 82 min / English and Spanish w/ Eng s.t.)
THE COCA COLA CASE is screening throughout the CP Network between winter and spring 2010 as part of the The Coca Cola Case Film Tour, co-organized the the NFB.
SYNOPSIS: Colombia is the trade union murder capital of the world. Since 2002, more than 470 workers’ leaders have been brutally killed, usually by paramilitaries hired by private companies intent on crushing the unions. Among these unscrupulous corporate brands is the poster boy for American business: Coca-Cola.
Talk to Martin Gil: His brother Isidro was killed at point-blank range while working at the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Carepa, because he was part of a union bargaining unit. Like most violent crimes committed against Colombian union leaders, Gil’s murder went unpunished.
However, U.S. lawyers Daniel Kovalik and Terry Collingsworth, as well as activist Ray Rogers, stepped in and launched an ambitious crusade against the behemoth Coca-Cola. In an incredible three-year saga, filmmakers Germán Gutiérrez and Carmen Garcia follow these heroes in a legal game of cat and mouse. From Bogotá to New York, Guatemala to Atlanta, Washington to Canada, The Coca-Cola Case maintains the suspense of a hard-fought struggle.
The lawyers filed several cases at the U.S. federal court against Cola-Cola for murder, abduction and torture committed in Colombia and Guatemala. Thanks to activist Ray Rogers, they also attacked the brand image of the Atlanta-based giant, with the devastating campaign Stop Killer Coke!, causing dozens of U.S. colleges and universities to boycott the drink.
Still the company would not give up. After five years of haggling, will the lawyers get justice? In the end, they reach a settlement of sorts, but what will the victims choose - cash, or power and integrity?
Trailer
Credits
Original idea and research: Germán Gutiérrez
Script: Carmen Garcia
Field director, director of photography and sound recording: Germán Gutiérrez
Assistant director: Ricardo Restrepo
Picture editing: Elric Robichon
Original music score: Olivier Alary
Conception sonore: François Senneville
Produced by: in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada
With the financial participation of
Québec - Crédit d’impôt cinéma et télévision
SODEC - Société de développement des entreprises culturelles - Québec
Téléfilm Canada
Canada - Crédit d’impôt pour film ou vidéo canadien
With the collaboration of SBS Australia
Film site & Reviews
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