The Empire of Red Gold

The hidden labor and global economy behind the tomato industry

From Ugihur tomato pickers in Xinjiang, China to tomato magnates in California, from Italian manufacturers to African producers, the history of the tomato and its international division of labour is an unexpected tale that unravels the complexity of our world. This documentary paints a picture of the economics behind the ruthless, unbounded tomato production industry, and introduces viewers to the realities of the American, Italian, French and Chinese manufacturers, as well as the proletarians working the fields – African migrants in Italy and internal migrant workers in China – without whom, there would be no processed tomato market.

Format : 1 x 52 minutes

Status : Available

Year of production : 2017

Available language(s) : French, English

Producer(s) : PVP MEDIA, Little Big Story

International distribution : PVP DISTRIBUTION (Canada)

Director(s) : Jean-Baptiste Malet, Xavier Deleu

Broadcaster(s) : TV5Unis, France 2, RTS, RTBF