Independents Night: From the Ground Up Su Friedrich, US, 2007; 54m
Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Admission: $11 general public; $7 FSLC members & students. Please note: there is a $1.25 service charge per ticket ordered online and cash only transactions at the box office.
The arduous chain of events that make coffee possible have been documented in many different ways, to tackle subjects as far-reaching as the treatment of workers, fair trade and economics. Experimental filmmaker Su Friedrich has taken a different tack. In From the Ground Up, she turns the camera with exacting detail on the making, processing, shipping and selling of coffee. Close-ups of seedlings on the ground in Guatemala, the faces of those that collect the beans as well as the man behind the pushcart in Manhattan combine with an aural repetition of a retro song, “Java Jive,” to contemplate the real price paid for this small pleasure of daily life. Friedrich will be on hand to assist in processing the process.
Independents Night is devoted exclusively to showcasing New York premieres of American documentaries. This rich genre comes to the big screen every other month at the Walter Reade Theater, making it one of the city's foremost venues for nonfiction work. With the filmmakers in attendance, Independents Night is always a provocative evening of discovery and exploration. Come to the screening ~ stay for the Q&A & the reception after the film.
