Beyond the Cup of Coffee
Title: Beyond the Cup of Coffee
Directed by
Ran Levy-Yamamori
Country: Kenya
Duration: 17 mins
SYNOPSIS
Coffee is one of the most popular morning beverage consumed by millions of people around the world. There are numerous reasons to why so many people consume coffee: The love for its aroma and taste, a ritual or a habit they enjoy, a reason to socialize with friends, relatives, the belief that it helps to awake, focus and improve productivity.
In Kenya, coffee cultivation conditions are ideal and began already in the 19th century by British colonizers.
For many years Kenyans grew the coffee and once it was harvested, it was handled to the government. It is surprising that many farmers had never tasted their own coffee! Actually, although it is a significant crop with a very high demand around the world, recently there is a decline in coffee cultivation and farmers are abandoning their plantations.
Beyond the Cup of Coffee is a journey with Sebastian, James, Lily and other “Crazy” Kenyans who decided that it is time to make a revolution in the Coffee industry, which is good for the soil and the environment, generous with the farmers, yields excellent coffee, and brings back pride to the coffee farmers. A social, environmental and economic revolution which improves the lives of so many farmers in Kenya.
As James Aggrey Otieno is saying: “Seeing our people dying in the Mediterranean Sea migrating in search of better life el
Directors’ Bio
Ran Levy-Yamamori
Ran Levy-Yamamori is a documentary filmmaker, writer and producer working worldwide and based in Israel. Starting his career as a field biologist in Israel and Japan, Ran became involved in natural history television programs for major Japanese TV broadcasters including NHK, the National Japanese TV. His programs include documenting the unknown lives of desert wolves and wildlife, Nubian Ibex, Barn owls, vultures and others.
Ran is a writer and illustrator of numerous books about nature and environment. Since 2012 he has travelled around the world with one major purpose: to tell the empowering stories of people who dedicate their lives to protecting nature, and to saving wildlife and the environment.
Among his clients: BirdLife International, the Humane Society International, Whales and Dolphins Society, Vulture Conservation Foundation, Oceancare, Cetacean Society International, Oceanic Preservation Society, Humane Society International and others.
Ran is also a passionate educator, who shares his experiences through training educators and the younger generation in documenting nature by writing, drawing and filming in Japan, the EU, Africa and The Middle East.
Bridging Troubled Waters, filmed in the Faroe Islands, is a film which combines everything that Ran believes in: Involving working with children and communities of the whale hunters, using creativity to create awareness and a mindset shift in the creation of documentaries which sensibly enable dialogs to solves conflicts (between supporters of the whale hunting and the environmental activists.
Currently Ran is focusing on creating series of short inspirational documentaries on people who are leading environmental changes in their own special way. Among the series: “The Ocean Angels”, Sustainable Revolutions in Africa, Women Leading Environmental Changes.
Cinematography
2023 Bridging Troubled Waters – Official Selection, Int’l Ocean Film Festival Kiel CINEMARE, Germany
2023 When the Ocean Turns Black – OUTSTANDING EXCELENCE AWARD, Nature Without Borders Film Festival, USA
2022 Bridging Troubled Waters – Merit of Awareness, Honorable Mention, Awareness Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA
2022 Ocean Angels – Selected, Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, New York, USA
2022 When the Ocean Turns Black – Selected, Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, New York, USA
2022 Bridging Troubled Waters – Selected, Vaasa Wildlife Festival, (Vaasa, Norway)
2022 Bridging Troubled Waters – Special Award, International Nature and Environmental Protection Festival, (Budapest, Hungary)
2022 Bridging Troubled Waters – Nominee – Lonely Wolf International Film Festival (London, UK)
2022 Bridging Troubled Waters – Winner, SEFF – Smaragdni Eco Film Festival (Croatia)
2022 Bridging Troubled Waters – EXCELLENCE Award in Nature Without Borders Film Festival (USA)
2021 Bridging Troubled Waters – Nominee Cannes World Film Festival (Cannes, France)
2021 Bridging Troubled Waters – World Premiere screening Oct 20, 2021 Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (NYC, USA)
2021 Bridging Troubled Water – Official Selected Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (NYC, USA)
2021 Becoming Forest Trees – Official Selected S.O.F.A (Cyprus)
2021 From Digital Garbage to Social Gold- Official Selection Portland EcoFilm Festival (USA)
2020 KOUNOTORI – British BirdFair – Selected for screening August 2020 (Canceled due to the Covid-19 crisis)
2020 KOUNOTORI, Becoming Forest Trees, Garbage Story – Selected for screening in Japan Expo Paris (Canceled due to the Covid-19 crisis)
2019 KOUNOTORI – British BirdFair Selected for screening August 2019
2019 Becoming Forest Trees – Portland EcoFilm Festival (USA) – Official selection
2018 KOUNOTORI – GUKIFF International Kids Film Festival (South Korea) – Top Excellent Short Film Prize for Asian Section
2018 KOUNOTORI – PhotoDiversity™ Film Festival (NYC) – Best Environmental/Wildlife Documentary 2018 KOUNOTORI – British BirdFair selected for screening August 2018
2017 Muzungu – Los Angeles Film Awards – Best Documentary Short
2016 Kenya We Have a Chance – Screening at UN General Assembly, United Nations, NYC, USA
2016 Muzungu – Festigious Film Festival – Winner, Jury Prize, and Special Mention
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