“Blood Diamond” is a 2006 film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou.
The film takes place during the 1996-1999 civil war in Sierra Leone, and depicts the war-torn nation and clashes between state forces and the rebels.
The movie begins with the abduction of Solomon Vandy (Hounsou), a local fisherman, by rebel troops that force him into slave labor in diamond mining. Vandy recovers a large pink diamond and manages to hide it, just before he is arrested and imprisoned by government troops.
Danny Archer (DiCaprio) is a South African mercenary who trades guns for diamonds. He is imprisoned after he is caught smuggling diamonds into Liberia, and gets word of the pink diamond while in prison. He arranges for the fisherman’s release from prison and offers to help him find his family, in exchange for the diamond.
The two then contact an American journalist (Connelly), who is reluctant to help until Archer tells her about the conflict diamond market and their funding of the civil war.
Archer and Vandy then set out to find the diamond. Soon after they recover it, Archer is hurt. Vandy goes on to London, where he sells the diamond to a representative of a South African diamond company, in exchange for ?2 million and a reunion with his family.
The journalist documents the transaction, publishes a magazine feature and exposes the trade in blood diamonds.
The diamond industry was wary of the movie, and, fearing it would prove detrimental to its image, launched a multi-million dollar campaign meant to present the responsible side of diamond mining and the diamond trade.
As part of the campaign, newspaper ads detailed the success of the Kimberley Process in regulating and monitoring global diamond trade, while significantly curbing the conflict diamond trade.
Eventually, despite concerns, the movie had no real impact on diamond sales. Nevertheless, it increased consumer awareness to the moral issues of the diamond trade.
