If the consumer takes moral responsibility for the product he/she consumes, then you might want to think twice before drinking that Coke. The soft drinks giant washes its hands of the environmental damage done its name in large swathes of the Third World, and as this crusading documentary shows, it also turns a blind eye to the seemingly routine murders of trade union activists at its bottling plants in Colombia. (More than 470 workers' leaders have been assassinated in that country since 2002.)
Reminiscent of the recent petroleum documentary Crude, The Coca Cola Case follows a US legal team as it bids to hold Coke to account in US courts for human rights violations that cannot be pursued in Colombia. It also follows the grassroots 'Stop Killer Coke' campaign, including an angry showdown with free-marketeers on the campus of the University of Chicago.
About the filmmakers
Germán Gutiérrez
After studying filmmaking, Germán Gutiérrez worked first as an assistant cameraman and later as a cameraman for Radio-Canada, the National Film Board and a variety of production companies. He soon moved on to directing, initially focusing on social and political issues. This work took him all over the world, often to conflict zones, notably Cambodia, Sarajevo, South Africa, Rwanda and El Salvador. Gutiérrez now has over 20 films to his credit, including La familia latina (1986) – Golden Sheaf Award, Yorkton Festival; Societies Under the Influence (1997), Martin’s Inferno (2002) and Who Shot My Brother? (2005) – Audience Choice Award at the Festival du nouveau cinéma. He has also collaborated on a number of television series, including Surviving the Wild (1999) and Technopolis (2001). His outstanding work on the series Insectia earned him numerous awards.
Carmen Garcia
Carmen Garcia made her start as a producer in 1984 at Ciné-Contact with L’enjeu des femmes, a documentary series directed by filmmakers from across the world, including Mira Nair. In 1988, she co-founded with German Gutiérrez, Argus Films and produced German Gutiérrez’s Le système « D », Gilles Courtemanche’s L’Église du sida and Mary Ellen Davis’ La terre des autres. She also collaborated with companies such as Pixcom and Gala Films, and with the National Film Board of Canada, as a producer, scriptwriter and director. Since 2003, after a contract at Telefilm Canada, she has given a new direction to Argus Films. Recent titles include The Coca-Cola Case (2009); Sans banque et sans regret (2009); Nadia’s Journey (2007) – Prix caméra au poing, RIDM, Special Jury Prize, Figra; Who Shot My Brother? (2005) – Audience Choice Award, Festival du nouveau cinéma, nominated for a Jutra award, Best of Festival, Columbus.
About Argus Films
The co-founders of Argus Films, Carmen Garcia and German Gutierrez, have been active in documentary film and video, in production, direction, scriptwriting and cinematography, for more than two decades. They launched the company in 1988, producing their own projects while continuing to collaborate with other private companies and with the National Film Board of Canada on numerous productions.
After a hiatus of a few years, Argus Films resumed operations in 2002. The company has received several awards and honours, and is renowned for the talent of its collaborators and the quality of its productions. Dedicated to capturing the fabric of life, Argus Films offers a critical and insightful point of view on the events great and small that make up our world. <argusfilms.ca>
About the NFB
Canada’s public film producer and distributor, the National Film Board of Canada creates social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, alternative drama and digital content that provide the world with a unique Canadian perspective. The NFB is expanding the vocabulary of 21st-century cinema and breaking new ground in form and content through community filmmaking projects, cross-platform media, programs for emerging filmmakers, stereoscopic animation – and more. It works in collaboration with creative filmmakers and co-producers in every region of Canada, with Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities, as well as partners around the world. Since the NFB’s founding in 1939, it has created over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. In 2009, Neighbours/Voisins by NFB animation founder Norman McLaren was added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The NFB’s new website features over 1,400 productions online, and its iPhone app has become one of the most popular and talked about downloads. Visit <NFB.ca> today and start watching.
