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'People here need a place where they can save their money and where they can obtain a small capital to expand their enterprises.' The hope and idealism resounding in the words of the Gambian banker Ismaela Faal are rather hard to swallow in the face of the current Western cynicism about banking. His boss Baboucarr Khan is even more resolute: 'We want to change the lives of the Gambians.' Khan is one of the founders of the microfinancing bank Reliance, who were followed for six months for this documentary. The film shows the reality of the 'universal remedy' microfinancing, the new economic infrastructure that should fight poverty in Third World countries. The general unfamiliarity with the banking phenomenon, however, not only creates a growth market for Reliance and his many competitors, but also entails all sorts of problems: from clients who misapprehend the system to a lack of competent staff.

Credits

Director
Producer
Executive producer
Set geluid
Sound editing
Sound Design
Production company
Kaap Holland Film B.V.
TV company
VPRO TV

Title: Banking the Unbanked
Year: 2009
Duration : 56 minutes
Category: Short Documentary
Edition: NFF 2009

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You are now in the NFF Archive. The archive contains contains information on film, TV and interactive productions that were screened at past festival editions. The NFF does not dispose of this material. For this, please contact the producer, distributor or broadcaster. Sometimes, older films can also be found at the Eye Film Museum or the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.