Director: Mo Scarpelli | Countries of production: Ethiopia, Italy, United States | Year: 2019 | Length: 86 min
Language: Amharic with English subtitles | Age: 12+ years
Genres: Documentary |
Topics: Land Rights
| Regions: Ethiopia

Screened as part of TOAFF19

This lyrical documentary follows a young boy who uses his creativity, imagination and sharp wits to battle forces beyond his control.

On the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, the largest modern housing development in East Africa promises thousands of people a better way of life. Its construction, on the farmland 10-year-old Asalif and his mother called home, has left them with just a tool shed, with no electricity or running water.

With dream-like poetry and stunning cinematography, Anbessa brings Asalif’s inner world of childhood adventures to life, while shedding light on the stark reality of internal displacement for those left behind by urbanisation.

#TOAFF19

Official Selection, Berlinale 2019