The Shadow of Gold takes an unflinching look at how the world's favorite heavy metal is extracted from the earth.

The film explores both sides of the industry: the big-time mining companies that dig deep and lop off mountaintops to extract gold from low-grade ore, and the small-time miners - an estimated 20 million people in the world's poorest nations - who extract gold by hand, often producing just enough to survive.

From communities threatened by proposed mining projects in the U.S. and Canada to small-time and artisanal miners risking their health - and their lives - in countries like Congo, Peru and China, The Shadow of Gold leads viewers from these flashpoints of extraction through loosely regulated supply networks to the very top of the global supply chain, where conflict gold reaches consumers who are unaware of the origins of this coveted commodity.

Finally the film engages with engineers, scientists, and Fair Trade advocates who are working with miners to tackle gold's worst environmental and social problems.

79 total minutes.

Watch the Trailer.

Directed by Denis Delestrac, Robert Lang, Sally Blake

Excellent 36-page Educator's Guide in English or French.