ABC Mini-Series on the Effects of the Blood Diamond Trade
March 31, 09
A couple of years after the release of the Blood Diamond movie, U.S. television network ABC will, in late May, air a four-hour mini-series titled Diamonds about the “personal and political effects of the blood diamond trade on a global scale.” Actress Judy Davis stars as a U.S. senator who travels to Africa to find out why her daughter was killed at a diamond mine in Sierra Leone, Hollywood trade paper Variety reported Monday. Alchemy TV, which is producing the program, described the plot as “following a trail of greed and obsession.” The mini-series traces the “international web that brings us diamonds.”
The trailer depicts extreme violence, including executions in diamond mining areas, all in the name of mining diamonds and supplying the gems to buyers unaware of the extent to which miners are willing to go in the name of greed.
The $15 million mini-series was shot in South Africa and Canada and has already sold to be aired in Canada, France and Spain. Canada's CBC is planning to start airing the mini-series in April.
In addition to Davis, the cast includes James Purefoy, Sir Derek Jacobi, Joanne Kelly and Louise Rose.
The diamond industry acted forcefully to minimize the impact of the Blood Diamonds movie that starred Leonardo Dicaprio. The movie aired just before the holiday season and the industry was concerned about the impact on diamond jewelry sales.