While in prison for smuggling, Archer learns that Solomon--who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields--has found and hidden the extraordinary rough stone. With the help of Maddy Bowen, an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Archer, the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory, a journey that could save Solomon's family and give Archer the second chance he thought he would never have.  Watch the Trailer A farmer, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond. The Blood Diamond is an upcoming film written and directed by Edward Zwick. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou. Warner Bros. issued an announcement on February 23, 2006 that filming had commenced on location in Mozambique, Africa Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a South African mercenary, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. While in prison for smuggling, Archer learns that Solomon - who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields - has found and hidden the extraordinary rough stone. With the help of Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Archer, the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory, a journey that could save Solomon's family and give Archer the second chance he thought he would never have found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blood_Diamond  Controversy The De Beers Corporation who controls the vast majority of the diamond trade has expressed its reservations that the movie will reduce public demand for diamonds. De Beers maintains that the trade in conflict diamonds has been eliminated by the Kimberley Process and has requested that the movie contain a disclaimer saying the events are fictional and in the past and that no diamond smuggling occurs any more.[1]

Related articles movies and books:  Blood Diamond Buy New: $17.99 history of blood diamonds The Awful Truth About Blood Diamonds Revealed By Author Janine Roberts Delves into the horrors of diamond mining. Extremely timely book to coincide with the release of the Leonardo DiCaprio film Blood Diamond. diamonds river , Blood Diamonds: A River or a Droplet? What a fuss a number can make -- one little number. And here it is: Fewer than 1 percent of diamonds on the market today are "conflict diamonds." drugs diamonds Director Edward Zwick’s movie Blood Diamond has raised a host of questions about Western complicity in the “conflict diamond” trade. To what extent has American demand for diamonds been a driving force behind brutal civil strife in Africa? Should Americans feel guilty about buying diamonds? DiCaprio Film May Hurt Diamond Sales Over Holidays, Author Says ``Blood Diamond,'' the new Leonardo DiCaprio movie about gems-for-weapons dealing in war-torn Sierra Leone during the 1990s, may hurt Christmas sales of diamonds, according to an author who has written a book about the issue.   west diamonds New DiCaprio Film Rattles west Diamond Industry & Rough Diamonds  Sordid diamonds:The sordid history behind Africa's conflict diamonds. 'Blood Diamond' shows how industry leaders turned a blind eye to the atrocities funded by their policies.

By Josh Grossberg Wed Jun 28, 1:38 PM ET found at http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20060628/en_movies_eo/19376 


Apparently, this Diamond may be rough for business. 

At least that's what a group of gem industry bigwigs are complaining about in the run-up to Leonardo DiCaprio's upcoming Warner Bros. drama The Blood Diamond, in which he plays a diamond smuggler who matches wits with a ruthless African diamond syndicate. 


Clearly rankled by the subject matter, which they fear could cut into jewelry sales, the World Diamond Council and a loose coalition of diamond organizations are appealing to the film's producer, cowriter and director, Edward Zwick, to include a scene at the end of the movie depicting improvements in the trade of so-called "conflict diamonds"--that is, rough diamond sales that helped fueled bloody African civil wars in which thousands of people were killed, particular in Sierra Leone, where the film is set. 


"The WDC and its coalition are urging the studio and the filmmakers to present this story in the proper historical context so they can relate how conflict diamonds have improved since then," says World Diamond Council spokesman Carson Glover. 


Kago G. Moshashane, the deputy secretary of Botswana's Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, and Eli Izhakoff, chairman of the World Diamond Council, sent a joint letter to Zwick in February asking that the filmmaker show how mine owners have improved the situation surrounding the conflict diamond trade in Sierra Leone. 


They note that the events portrayed in The Blood Diamond predate the implementation of the Kimberly Process, a voluntary certification program initiated in 2000 that sought to put an end to conflict diamond sales by certifying the movement of rough diamonds across international borders. The move came amid massive protests by human rights groups, including Amnesty International, urging industry leaders to clean up their act. 


The letter claims that the film will dredge up bad memories and present a "distorted picture of reality to the general public" and could hurt diamond sales come the holiday shopping season. 


To that end, the letter asks Zwick, an Oscar winner as a producer of Shakespeare in Love, to include something about the Kimberly Process and its affect on the conflict diamond trade, which has been reduced from 4 percent to 1 percent of rough diamond sales, according to the WDC. 


But Zwick, whose filmmaking credits also include The Last Samurai, The Siege and Glory, isn't paying much heed. 


"We're all aware of the Kimberly Process. The movie details the events of 1999 and are facts are in order. And we're not negotiating with anyone as to the content of our movie and we'll make the movie as we see fit," Zwick tells E! Online. 


There is also some dispute about the efficacy of the Kimberly Process, which is still only voluntary. Amnesty International claims that the conflict diamond trade persists in such countries as Liberia and the Ivory Coast. 


"One of the main problems from our perspective is that checks on the diamond industry from production and distribution are woefully inadequate," said Amnesty spokeswoman Amy O'Meara. "Basically, there's no auditing that exists and without that there's a lot of loopholes that allows illicit diamonds to enter the trade." 


The World Diamond Council coalition is made up of seven groups: the American Gem Society, a group of retail jewelers; Diamond Dealers Club, diamond traders; the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America; Jewelers of America, another retail trade organization; Jewelry Information Center, the PR arm of the jewelry industry; the Jeweler's Vigilance Committee, which monitors legal issues; and Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America. 


The Blood Diamond, which also stars Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou and Stephen Collins, recently wrapped production in South Africa and Mozambique and is scheduled to hit theaters in December. 

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