Blood, Sweat and Sugar
Sugar is sweet, seductive, addictive - but built on human suffering. This feature-length reveals how an enticing luxury became the engine of a global system powered by slavery, exploitation and environmental destruction, a legacy still shaping the world today. From the 19th-century slave plantations to modern refineries in the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Reunion, India, South Africa and Europe, the series traces how sugar fuelled colonial empires, drove some of the worst aspects of international trade and commerce, and left deep social and ecological scars that are still present in labour abuses and exhausted landscapes today.
Blood, Sweat and Sugar
How sugar was built on a global system of slavery
Sugar is sweet, seductive, addictive - but built on human suffering. This feature-length reveals how an enticing luxury became the engine of a global system powered by slavery, exploitation and environmental destruction, a legacy still shaping the world today. From the 19th-century slave plantations to modern refineries in the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Reunion, India, South Africa and Europe, the series traces how sugar fuelled colonial empires, drove some of the worst aspects of international trade and commerce, and left deep social and ecological scars that are still present in labour abuses and exhausted landscapes today.
Creators and cast
- Directors
- Mathilde Damoisel
- Producers
- Karina Si Ahmed, Valérie Delpierre, BRUNO CABRAL
- Studio
- Hauteville Productions, ARTE, Inicia Films
Maturity rating
Not yet rated.
Audio languages
English, French, German
Where to watch
Not currently listed on any streaming, rental or purchase service.