Winners: International Year of Co-operatives Film Festival

To celebrate the theme of the International Year — Co-operative Enteprises Build A Better World — the United Nations held a competition for the best short films about...

To celebrate the theme of the International Year — Co-operative Enteprises Build A Better World — the United Nations held a competition for the best short films about co-operatives.

The seven winners, which will be screened at a special event at the UN's headquarters today, raise awareness about co-operatives and encourage support and development of the sector.

Watch the videos below:

1. What's to love about food co-ops? (2 minutes)
Produced by the National Cooperative Grocers Association
Country: USA

In the United States, retail food cooperatives have a long and successful history. From the pioneering of nutritional labeling, to the introduction of natural and organic foods, food co-ops have played a leading role in bringing healthy innovations to the markets they serve. Today, National Cooperative Grocers Association's 128 co-ops continue this tradition with a strong emphasis on supporting local food systems and careful attention to environmental sustainability.

2. Cooperative of Apurimac (14 minutes)
Produced by Miko Meloni
Country: Peru

Producer and Director Miko Meloni said the Italian NGO Gruppo di Volontariato Civile commissioned him to record a film about cooperatives of alpaqueros, alpaca herders. He said: "At first I could not understand where all this awareness of cooperativism came from, until one day, asking one of the interviewees answered that 'the issue is that the cooperative here, is very familiar to people in the field because it is very similar to our ancestral forms of organization'."

3. Women with courage (15 minutes)
Produced by Charlotte Marchesseault
Country: Brazil

Charlotte Marchesseault says: "As a subject for my master's thesis in international business management, I chose to study the creation of artisan associations in developing countries. In the current context of globalization, economic inequalities are becoming increasingly apparent. Thus, any analysis of sustainable economic development must be performed within an international business context in order to minimize the marginalization of certain individuals. The implementation of artisan associations can improve living conditions for many people.

"The case of Mundo Jeri, a women's association of crocheiteras in North—Eastern Brazil, presents us with an interesting opportunity to analyze this theory. These women were selling their art individually until 2005, at which time they decided to form an association. For the past seven years, they have been continuously learning about administrating, organizing and managing. Though their journey has not been without difficulties, their perseverance has led them to a point at which their small enterprise has become lucrative."

4. Co-op Housing: more than a home (8 minutes)
Produced by the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada
Country: Canada

Canada’s 2,200 housing co-ops provide secure, self-determined, community-oriented affordable housing to a quarter of a million people with wide ranging incomes and backgrounds. This short documentary visits five housing co-ops across Canada, interviewing members and managers about how co-op housing transforms neighborhoods and improves people’s lives. This video was produced by Novel Pictures for the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada to commemorate the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives.

5. Food For Change: The Twin Cities Story (14:56 minutes)
Produced by Steve Alves
Country: USA

Food For Change: The Twin Cities Story depicts food co-ops in the Minneapolis – St. Paul region of Minnesota, an area with the greatest concentration of food co-ops in the United States. The film explores the positive impact on jobs, local economies, and food security that co-ops obtain once they’ve reached a certain scale and learn to work together. This short film is a chapter from the feature-length documentary, Food For Change, which will be released in Spring 2013.

6. Red Chillies (15 minutes)
Produced by Samadanie Kiriwandeniya, Sanasa Development Bank
Directed by Rohana Warnakulasooriya
Country: Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, women are extensively involved in agricultural activities. However, the knowledge and attitudes gain by them in a conservative environment are no longer valid to face the challenges. They suffer from inability to obtain fair prices for their produce. Mainly due to the relaxation of import restriction, the situation has declined in prices, especially at harvest times. Due to lack of price and market information, and in the absence of proper storage facilities, they are compelled to sell their produce at a low price. They internally are in debt to the middle man. Though they are given loans at preparatory stages, they are unable to repay them due to crop failure on account of droughts. In a situation where a specific strategy to empower farmers is not in existence, the violence associates with devaluation and disempowerment. Despite these obstacles, Sri Lankan women have a great desire to continue farming. It is in this context, the invaluable presence of co-operatives brighten their lives.

7. Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World by meeting Human Need not Human Greed (12:07 minutes)
Produced by the Co-operative Development Division of the Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development, Trinidad and Tobago
Country: Trinidad and Tobago

In observance of the International Year of Co-operatives the Co-operative Development Division of Trinidad and Tobago, a division of the Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development, produced an extraordinary Theme Song and Music Video.

This short film reflects the heart of the members of the Co-operative Movement as they take part in the filming of the Music Video and the launch of the video at the Co-operative Business Expo in July 2012. The Cooperative members describe the benefits of belonging to a Co-operative, how their individual Co-operatives have positively impacted their lives and their communities and why they believe that Co-operatives contribute to a better world.

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