From the origins of contemporary Ethiopian cinema
It was at the very beginning of the 20th century that the Lumière brothers' cinematograph arrived in Ethiopia, via ambassadors. In fact, it was the Italian minister Federico Ciccodicola who gave a cinematograph to Emperor Menelik II, one of the first machines to be regularly used in the country. It wasn't until the 1920s that the first cinema was built in Ethiopia and began to welcome the public, while the first Ethiopian films captured in images the country's landmark events, such as the coronation of Empress Zewditou in 1917, followed by that of Haile Selassie in 1930.
It was in the second half of the 20th century that Ethiopian cinema came to international prominence, through figures such as Haïlé Gerima and, more recently, Yared Zeleke. Born in 1946, Haïlé Gerima is known for his political commitment and his exploration of social themes in his films, and is considered one of the pioneers of modern African cinema. Trained in the United States, he returned to Ethiopia in the 1970s, where he made The Harvest of Three Thousand Years (1976), a moving drama about a poor farming family. His best-known film is undoubtedly Sankofa, released in 1993, the story of an African-American model who is transported back in time to the era of slavery, where she is confronted with the atrocities of that period. Acclaimed at the Fespaco festival and selected for the 43rd Berlin Film Festival, the film's powerful aesthetics and strong critique of colonialism and oppression.
Inspired by this precursor, a second generation of filmmakers emerged in the 2000s. Yared Zeleke, born in 1980, was the first Ethiopian director to be selected in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival. His first feature, Lamb (2015), was screened at the Directors' Fortnight. A poignant film that, through the story of Ephraim, a young boy entrusted to a new family by his mother to ensure a brighter future, explores themes of identity and resilience in a rural Ethiopian context. In the same year, filmmaker Hermon Hailay won the grand prize at Fespaco in Ouagadougou with Price of Love (2015), the story of Teddy, a parking attendant who falls in love with a prostitute named Fere. When Fere is attacked, Teddy risks everything to save her. Tackling themes of love, social marginalization and the struggle for dignity, Price of Love offers a realistic look at life on the streets of Addis Ababa, and has made a major contribution to the visibility of Ethiopian cinema.
A year earlier, it was director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari who won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival with Difret (2014), a hard-hitting work about forced marriages and their dramatic consequences. The film was co-produced by actress Angelina Jolie.
Today, Ethiopian cinema is also about women. Talented Ethiopian women directors such as Selamawit Adnaw(Fig Tree, 2018), Mehret Mandefro(Little White Lie, 2007) and Hiwot Admasu Getaneh(Nishan, 2015) bring diversity and fresh perspectives to the contemporary Ethiopian film industry, while winning awards and being screened at numerous international festivals.
When Hollywood comes to Ethiopia
Ethiopia's natural beauty has made it the setting for several high-profile international film shoots. The Simien mountains, the Abyssinian highlands, the lakes of the Great Rift Valley and the deserts of the Danakil are examples of the impressive backdrops that can be found in films not only from Ethiopia, but also from America and Europe.
It was in Ethiopia that Pier Paolo Pasolini shot the African scenes of his 1974 film The Thousand and One Nights. A sensual work by the filmmaker who plays on the tales and legends of Arabia to stage passions and fantasies. The film earned him the Grand Prix du Jury at Cannes that same year, and a nomination for the Palme d'Or.
The Ethiopian landscape also attracted the teams behind 2010's Clash of the Titans, a remake of the 1981 Hollywood classic. This blockbuster, although shot mainly in the studio, showcases Ethiopia's craggy landscapes through numerous beautiful aerial shots. Incidentally, the film is a concentration of action by the filmmaker behind the latest installments of the Fast and Furious saga, so don't expect too much subtlety.
More recently, Ethiopia served as the inspiration for Ryan Coogler's sumptuous Black Panther , one of Marvel Studios' latest productions. Mostly shot on fictional sets in Atlanta, but greatly nourished by images of the Simien Mountains, as well as many other grandiose settings in Kenya or Uganda, the film was widely acclaimed for its depiction of African culture and was a major commercial success, bringing in nearly 1.4 billion dollars for the American studio. It features internationally renowned actresses such as Lupita Nyong'o and Angela Bassett, and the late Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020. A cinematic epic combining super-heroic action and an in-depth look at the African heritage of the younger generation, an interesting link between the past and the future of modern African cinema, where Ethiopia and its talents definitely have their place.
Eating cinema in Ethiopia
There are many ways to discover Ethiopian cinema, as the country has a well-developed network of cinemas. In Addis Ababa, for example, cinephiles can visit the National Cinema or the Edna Mall Cinema to discover Ethiopian and international films. The Alem Cinema is also a popular option for local films, while the Cinema Sébastopol hosts the annual Addis International Film Festival (AIFF), one of the major showcases of Ethiopian cinema. Make the most of a trip to Gondar to discover its uniquely designed auditorium. And enjoy discovering a cinema that's already a hundred years old.
