Elisha and the Cacao Trees (Elisha et les Cacaoyers) 2010
Distributed by National Film Board of Canada, 1123 Broadway, Suite 307, New York, NY 10010; 800-542-2164
Produced by Annette Clarke
Directed by Rohan Fernando
DVD, color, 17 min.
K-12
Agriculture, Central America, Children, Family Life & Customs, Food, Global Banquet,
Global Economy
Date Entered: 05/24/2012
Reviewed by Winifred Fordham Metz, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillThis sweet, short film introduces Elisha, a thirteen-year-old girl growing up in Central America, who dreams one day of becoming an archeologist. Director Rohan Fernando trains the camera on Elisha and select members of her large family of 15 as they go about life in their San Pedro Colombia Village outside of Belize. Elisha’s father is a farmer, whose main crop is Cacao – the primary ingredient of chocolate. Elisha’s days are split between studies at school with her friends and working alongside her father harvesting cacao or helping her mother at home. Fernando follows Elisha, her father and siblings into the forest as they plant new cacao trees, check on existing crops and harvest ripe cacao pods. Ultimately, the film provides a peak into how cacao is grown, harvested and later turned into chocolate.
This film would find appeal with K-12 audiences learning about Central America family life and culture, global agriculture or the global banquet.