The Chocolate Farmer
All the knowledge that they teach us, we cannot eat it.
70 mins
For ancient Mayans, cocoa was as good as gold. For subsistence farmer Eladio Pop, his cocoa crops are the only riches he has to support his wife and 15 children. As he wields his machete with ease, slicing a path to his cocoa trees, the small jungle plot he cultivates in southern Belize remains pristine and wild. His dreams for his children to inherit the land and the traditions of their Mayan ancestors present a familiar challenge. The kids feel their father's philosophies don't fit into a global economy, so they're charting their own course. Rohan Fernando's direction tenderly displays a generational shift, causalities of progress in modern times and a man valiantly protecting an endangered culture. Breathtaking vistas of lush rainforests contrast with the urban dystopia that pulled Pops children away from him. Will one child return to carry on a waning way of life
Annette Clarke
Producer
Paul Cowan
Cinematography
Aram Kouyoumdjian
Sound Recordist
Patsy Coughran
Production Supervisor
John William Lutz
Administration
Stephanie Coolen
Production Coordinator
Philippe Raymond
Title Designer
Jean-Paul Vialard
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Ravida Din
Executive Producer
Lisa Clarke
Transcriptions
Steve Hallé
Post Production Coordinator
Brent Toombs
Additional Camera
Doug Woods
Online Editor
Carolle Crooks
Location Manager
Asif Illyas
Original Music Composer
Candice Desormeaux
Production Supervisor
Vanessa Larsen
Production Coordinator
Roberto Pop
Production Coordinator