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Sweet Shop pushes trade not aid in ‘Fair Story’
Between 2009 and 2010, retail sales of Fairtrade certified products in Australia and New Zealand increased by almost 200 percent to over $200 million and, with Cadbury and Whittakers deciding to listen to their consciences, Fairtrade Certified chocolate sales grew by more than 1500 percent. It’s already a powerful ethical consumer movement but a global campaign that’s being called the first ever ‘filmic petition’ aims to raise that even profile even further and bring more value to the farmers.
Dreamed up by Sydney agency Generation Alliance and created by The Rumpus Room, The Sweet Shop and Kiwi director Jeff Wood, who splits his time between London and New Zealand, Fair Story was filmed in Nyeri Africa and the social media platform invites individuals around the world to participate in raising awareness and building understanding of Fairtrade.
“I was genuinely drawn to the underlying message, but also the creative potential,” says Wood. “A pop-up storybook framework seemed like the perfect format for the journey aspect of the narrative, while stop frame offered the naïve charm. All this, coupled with our real people shot on location in Fairtrade Gikanda Kenya, provided the authenticity required.”
Check out the microsite here. And for keen fairtrade beans, you can even put yourself in the film.
