An idealistic postgraduate Ethiopian doctor returns from West Germany to his home country of Ethiopia at the height of the Marxist regime of Mengitsu Haile Mariam. His youthful ideals are immediately put to the test as he is forced to confront the reality of his country descending into war and political turmoil. The journey leads him to reconnect with his forgotten past and his culture’s rich history. A dense, lyrical and sharply political film from Haile Gerima that is both historically expansive and deeply personal. Turning a lens on the oppressive structures in the form of government and traditional patriarchal culture that stifle human expression and the will to transform.
Screening preceded by short animated film My Love, Ethiopia directed by Gabrielle Tesfaye
‘Yene Fikir, Ethiopia’, meaning ‘My Love, Ethiopia’, is a live-action animated film that follows the turbulent and mystical journey of a young girl searching for freedom after being separated from her family during Ethiopia’s political conflict in the 1970s. As she embarks on a painful migration through the scorching desert, magical guardian angels are sent to aid her by a mysterious and ancient Goddess in the skies, holding the secret to heal her homeland. – Gabrielle Tesfaye
Free Screening (available 24 hours) introduced by season curator Kinyua Kamau
Programme curated by Kinyua Kamau as part of African Cinema: Fractured Identities.
In partnership with
