Baristas vs. Billionaires: A New Documentary About The Rise of Starbucks Workers Premiering at the 50th Annual Atlanta Film Festival

Barista's vs. Billionaires, a new documentary about the rise of Starbucks Workers United and a new generation of working-class activists—a new documentary about the rise of Starbucks Workers United and a new generation of working-class activists.

Narrated by Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon and directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mark Mori, the film captures young baristas organizing against one of the world’s most powerful corporations, fueling a nationwide movement that recently culminated in a record-setting strike. 

Atlanta Film and TV asked a few members of the Baristas vs Billionaires production team a few questions about the documentary; Director and Producer - Mark Mori, Editor and Producer - Bob Judson, and Co-Producer - Dennis LA White.

Atlanta Film and TV: What sparked your interest in bringing "Baristas vs. Billionaires" to life? 

What sparked my interest in bringing Baristas vs. Billionaires to life goes back to my own experience in the 1970s in Atlanta. I was a union activist and political organizer, working for five years at Atlantic Steel Mill—now Atlantic Station. That experience gave me a deep understanding of the working class and how to communicate across lines of struggle and solidarity. I also studied the labor movement of the 1930s, when unions in this country built real strength and reshaped the economic landscape.

So, when I began seeing the emergence of union efforts in 2020 and 2021—at the Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, at Starbucks stores, and across other retail outlets—I recognized something familiar. To me, this felt like the early stages of a new labor movement, much like the one that took hold in the 1930s and grew in power throughout that decade. What stood out most was that young people were leading this movement.

That realization led me to focus on the Starbucks union drive, which turned out to be a truly remarkable story—young workers taking matters into their own hands and driving a new wave of labor organizing. 

– Mark Mori, Director/Producer

Atlanta Film and TV: Can you share how you gained the trust of the baristas to ensure their stories were told correctly? 

My own background played a crucial role in gaining the trust of the baristas. They could see that I understood what they were going through, not abstractly, but from lived experience. Because of that, they were willing to place their confidence in me, and that trust made it possible to tell their stories with honesty and integrity. 

– Mark Mori, Director/Producer

Atlanta Film and TV: Were there any surprising or challenging moments you faced while filming this documentary? If so, could you share? 

From the onset we knew that we would need to muster all our combined experience as filmmakers to tackle a story that was time sensitive and that would continually evolve. Generally, we would approach a film like this with a secured budget and defined production and finishing parameters. That was not the case. The story was financed independently so we each had to schedule productions between other commitments. Ninety percentage of the footage in the film was shot on location with a two-man crew, handling lighting, sound, two 4K cameras, and the conducting the interviews. Post was a collaborative effort with Mark writing and producing in Florida, Leigh Anne editing in upstate New York, and Bob in Atlanta supervising the post and deliverables. The challenges were many but the passion for the project and the skills that the committed production team brought to this story resulted in a film that will stand the test of time and hopefully result in a more equitable working environment for not only the Starbucks Baristas but for other workers who suffer from economic disparity.   

 – Bob Judson, Editor/Producer

Atlanta Film and TV: What do you hope audiences take away from "Baristas vs Billionaires?" 

It’s essential that audiences understand that the proceeds from the film go toward further grassroots distribution to build support and raise money for Starbucks Workers United. It’s equally important to clarify that neither the baristas nor the Starbucks union asked us to make this documentary. We chose to tell this story because we witnessed the injustice firsthand—and felt a responsibility to shine a light on the extraordinary courage it took for these workers to stand together and challenge a powerful corporation regardless of the possible repercussions.

 – Dennis LA White, Co-Producer

Atlanta Film and TV: Is there something we didn’t mention that you would like for our readers to know about "Baristas vs. Billionaires? "

Starbucks has built a global reputation as a progressive company. But when audiences hear Howard Schultz in his own words—and see how baristas have been treated—they may be shocked by the gap between the brand and the reality. This is a story that’s largely remained out of view, and this film is about exposing it. – Mark Mori, Director/Producer

After the film's Georgia premiere at the 50th Atlanta Film Festival, "Baristas vs Billionaires" will have a one-week Oscar-qualifying run at Tara Atlanta from May 8 to May 14 with showtimes and tickets to be announced May 5. Visit the Tara Atlanta website for more details.

Baristas vs Billionaires will make its premiere as a Special Presentation of the 50th Annual Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF 50) at Tara Atlanta on April 28 at 9 pm. Get Tickets here.