Where Conversations BrewSupport
Hands of a Congolese coffee farmer holding ripe red coffee cherries above misty highlands

CR8:BLK
Studios

A Documentary Film By Rebekah Ofori

Where
Conversations
Brew

In Production

Not just about coffee — about starting conversations around environmental sustainability and coffee enterprise in Africa.

Donate now at Fractured Atlas!Read the synopsis

Produced by CR8:BLK Foundation

Logline

Two entrepreneurs of Congolese descent launched a sustainable coffee business, sharing coffee from the Congo with the world. Amid the challenges of working in conflict-affected regions, they harnessed efforts to empower farmers, foster community unity, and revive hope through a shared culture of coffee.

Farmer-centered

A coffee collective that gives local communities sustainable farming practices, fair trade access, and a renewed sense of purpose.

Peacebuilding

A coffee culture rooted in equity and resilience that bridges ethnic and regional divides and creates stable livelihoods.

Local ownership

Restoring dignity to communities long destabilized by exploitation, with economic recovery led from inside the Congo.

Synopsis

A story told from the eyes of the entrepreneurs.

Where Conversations Brew is a feature-length documentary that follows two entrepreneurs of Congolese descent as they work to build a sustainable coffee company rooted in their homeland. The film weaves a powerful narrative of resilience, cultural pride, and economic empowerment, set against the backdrop of Congo's complex history and vibrant potential — capturing their unwavering hope for the future of the Congo and their deep love for coffee as a connector between people, place, and purpose.

As they navigate the challenges of grassroots development, the film explores the intersection of agriculture, peacebuilding, and identity. It also captures the emotional and often surprising reactions of people tasting Congolese coffee for the first time — a sensory entry point into a larger conversation about Congo's global significance in the coffee industry.

From bustling cities to remote villages, across an intercontinental partnership from Philadelphia to the Congo and communities of the Congolese diaspora, it highlights the emergence of a new barista culture — one that reflects a generation reclaiming their narrative and redefining what's possible.

Coffee pickers walking through terraced coffee farms above a lake in South Kivu, DRC
Coffee regions of the eastern Congo

Artistic approach

Cinematic imagery, dynamic storytelling, and music that carries memory.

A Congolese woman barista pouring latte art in a warmly lit specialty coffee bar
A new barista culture

Point of view

Dynamic storytelling guides the film so each participant shares the plight through their own point of view, captured in cinematic shots that bring vivid imagery to their story.

Archival & the land

Working closely with the cinematographer, the film incorporates archival footage from the coffee region in the Congo and documents collaborative work with farmers and sustainable farming practices.

Immersion

An experimental layer of the film lives beyond the screen — social media and podcasts creating a tech-driven discourse that sparks dialogue and awareness.

Cast — subjects of the film

Jim N. Ngokwey & Linda Mugaruka

Jim N. Ngokwey

Entrepreneur

“It's coffee because I believe agriculture will play a part in long term and sustainable economic development in the DRC. I was looking for opportunities to support, work in or invest in agriculture related products, and through a chance meeting, I got connected to people in coffee. I'm motivated to start this work because I want to play a role in bringing economic development to my country.”

“Besides profitability and sustainability these are my goals: impact in Congo, measured in jobs created, money transferred and lives impacted. Impact in America, measured in the quantity of Congolese coffee consumed, awareness of Congo as a coffee producing country, and interest in Congo beyond the headlines.”

Linda Mugaruka

Agricultural Engineer · Q Grader · Founder, Yetu Qahwah

“I learned to love coffee after college. Due to lack of employment, I accepted an internship in a café project working in South Kivu; through that work I took a liking to it and decided to make it a passion. I have perfected myself and made it a lifestyle to awaken my generation and prove that this culture should not be dedicated only to older generations — as young people, we must take over and educate the new generation.”

“To make Congolese coffee talk differently, to change the narrative. Producers must know the quality of their product; these producers must have a less miserable life. Create jobs through this crop while promoting our local products, contribute to improving the lives of small producers while guaranteeing a local and international market — and be the voice of the voiceless.”

Film crew

The team behind the film

Rebekah Frimpong

Director / Writer

Also known as Rebekah Ofori. Writer and producer of seven short films and two web series, and director-writer of two documentary features. Her acclaimed feature “Vanishing Seeds—Haiti” (2010), on soil degradation and tree-planting with Trees for the Future, screened as a video installation in Re-Imaging Haiti at MoCADA in Brooklyn. She recently completed the feature documentary “ADOWA,” fiscally sponsored by Dance Films Association and Fractured Atlas.

Charles Jones

Co-producer

A film instructor committed to diversity in storytelling. He studied Film Production at Howard University and worked in New York as an editor and associate producer at an independent documentary company, and has taught aspiring filmmakers in the U.S. and internationally.

Kobina de Graft-Johnson

Cinematographer / DP

Founder and CEO of Anibok Studios. Born in Tema, Ghana and based in New York City, he is building a catalogue of 100 films shaping the storytelling narrative of Ghanaian and Afro-American culture.

Joseph Akwasi

Editor

A filmmaker, producer and pan-Africanist always in search of stories that empower, inspire and move a culture forward.

Produced by the CR8:BLK Foundation, fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, and co-produced by Charles Jones.

Get Involved

Be part of making this film.

Your donation directly accelerates production, helping cover travel expenses connected with filming in multiple locations and bringing these stories to the screen.

Every contribution moves us closer to completion — from field shoots in the Congo to post-production and community screenings.

Donate

Support the film through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas. Your gift is tax-deductible and goes straight toward production costs.

Donate via Fractured Atlas

Inquire

For partnership opportunities, press inquiries, or questions about the film, reach out to the CR8:BLK Foundation.

cr8blkorg@gmail.com
Three Congolese friends in conversation over cups of coffee at a wooden table

Impact & support

The stories of peacekeepers and innovators have been removed from the spotlight. This film brings them back.

The conflict in the Congo has skewed the world's perception of the people in that region. In making the film, the director's goal is to get a clearer picture of the Congo today and highlight the efforts of two entrepreneurs and the coffee farmers at the helm of sustainable solutions — reconstructing communities and economic possibilities.

Your donation to the film will accelerate production and help cover travel expenses connected with filming in multiple locations. Be a part of making this film!

Donate via Fractured AtlasContact the team