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We don't really have Cafés in Britain; not in the way they exist in the Great Cities of Europe. London society used to revolve around the Coffee House - Lloyd's, White's, there were over 500 coffee houses in London in 1730 - but no longer.
In European cities, Cafés are still essential places: places to meet friends, while away mornings reading newspapers, play chess, discuss life, business, revolution, art. And they're places visited equally enthusiastically by visitors and locals alike.
Roy Ackerman's glossy series The Cream of Cafés visits three of the great centres of this tradition: Paris (first coffee house opened 1672), Vienna (1683), and Madrid (1745). Roy finds the great places, and the small; looks at the importance of the Cafés to each city's life. Meets the characters, listens to the stories; tastes the food - and finds out how many ways you can drink your coffee...
The Series
There's something special about relaxing in a café in a strange city, watching life ebb and flow around you. Maybe it's a grand place with carpets and chandeliers. Maybe the floor is bare and the street outside is narrow and shaded. Still, it's a place to rest and watch. And for the people living in these cities? A place to meet friends? Somewhere neutral to do business? A home from home? All these things.
Our series explores the different faces of the Coffee House in some of the cities where their existence has become a part of the legend of the city. In this initial series, each city has two programmes devoted to it; and the series explores a little of the history of each place, and the events that have taken place - and do take place - in its cafés.
Production
The same award-winning team has previously produced several series and single programmes together with Roy Ackerman.
The first series is now available for acquisition. If you are interested either in licencing the first series, or becoming a co-production partner on a second series (or both) please contact
webmaster@farnfilm.com
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