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Cinema of Ethiopia

December 04, 2023

The Cinema of Ethiopia and the film industry in general are relatively recent phenomena in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian film industry is growing but faces many problems that have prevented it from fully flourishing.[1] Historically, live stage theater enjoyed more popularity in Ethiopia, creating a handful of relatively successful stage actors.[1] Ethiopian films began modernizing in the 2000s, implementing Amharic, but due to wide home video and DVD distribution, they are often frustrated by copyright infringement in the presence of piracy. This was reduced in the early 2010s with the intervention of the government and the imposition of policy. Despite recent developments, the Ethiopian film industry continues to lack quality compared to modern world cinema and has a low budget amateurish style.[citation needed]

Cinema of Ethiopia
No. of screens273 (2016)
Main distributors
Sebastobol Production
Produced feature films (2018)
Total57
Animated4
Documentary12

History edit

The cinema of Ethiopia was introduced in 1897,[2] two years after the first world film was projected on December 25, 1895, in Paris. However, the growth rate critically declined as a result of ongoing sociopolitical instability. Over decades, the Ethiopian film industry has been associated with cultural, religious, and national backgrounds and, under the pressure of its leaders, advanced historical and documentary films.

Berhanou Abebbé wrote in the 2003 article Annales d'Ethiopie that a Frenchman introduced the first cinematic artifacts in Ethiopia in 1898, sold to Italian minister Federico Ciccodicola [it]. Ciccodicola then offered it to Emperor Menelik II as a gift. According to historians Berhanou and Richard Pankhurst, before the first public film screening occurred in (1909–1910), the Majesty watched several films over decades. In 1923, the first cinema house was completed and built by Ethiopians. Berhanou also noted that the first cinema house was called Pate; and it was owned by MM. Baicovich, which was functional from 1909 to 1910. During the first phase of cinema introduction, people were unsatisfactory to watch films. Berhanou quoted the French historian Merab, in his Impressions d'Ethiopie (1922), "people apparently didn't like to entertain themselves."

Pankhurst, a distinguished historian published his book Economic History of Ethiopia in 1968, further elaborated that the Armenians were attempted to project by 1909–10, but only attracted by temporary interest and soon abandoned it. Some natives misunderstandingly compared cinema to "devil work". Propelled by objection to the first house opened in 1923, the native labelled the cinema "Ye Seytan Bet" ("devil's house"). Chris Prouty noted that Ethiopia and Eritrea as the only country in Africa indifferent to foreign films. The first Ethiopian film au de Menilek was released on 1909 directed by Charles Martel. The first short film is 16mm black-and-white film, produced on the occasion of Empress Zewditu's coronation day in 1916. In addition, the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie was filmed. There was also produced limited feature films. In 1978, the Ethiopian Film Center to encourage film production, which was later replaced by Ethiopian Film Corporation in accordance with Decree No. 306/1986. It was produced 27 documentaries; two of whom are notable titled BehiywetZuria and Aster. However with the regime of Derg caused a split of sector with private investment.[3]

Little was known before internationally grossed films revived in 1990s. Most of renowned figures responsible for recognition of Ethiopian films internationally are Haile Gerima, Salem Mekuria, Yemane Demissie, and Teshome Gabriel.[4] In 1993, the Ethiopian Filmmakers Association (EFIMA) was launched with objective of boosting the film growth in Ethiopia. At the time, the organization only have 27 founding members who were employees of the Ethiopian Film Corporation, the only public enterprise representing the film industry. The organization grew with 150 members representing five regions of the country. It has been called the pioneer association to bear filmmakers in Ethiopia.[3]

In 2000s, Ethiopian films exceptionally outgrown and implemented Amharic language. However, with distribution to DVD, some filmmakers worried about piracy.[5] According to Addis Ababa Culture and Tourism Bureau, there was an increase of production into from 10 to 112 films in 2005–2012. In 2013, the Ethiopian government planned with stakeholders of various working sectors to draft a new film policy. These include imposing license, expanding film schools, taxations, increasing equipments, and helping filmmakers to encourage production in culturally and diversify background. However scholars such as Aboneh Ashagrie and Alessandro Jedlowski argued that the Ethiopian films may never satisfied to international premiere because of filmmaking preference in amateurish style and differ from foreign norms. There are also internationally grossed films in particular; Difret (2014) and Price of Love (2015) became the most acclaimed film whereas Rebuni (2015) and Yewendoch Guday (2007) were domestically successful films.[6]

Notable figures edit

Directors edit

Producers edit

Actors/actresses edit

Screenwriters edit

Notable films edit

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Ethiopian films.

Domestically successful films edit

  • Gudifecha (ጉዲፈቻ)
  • Kezkaza Wolafen (ቀዝቃዛ ወላፈን)
  • Abay vs Vegas (አባይ ወይስ ቬጋስ)
  • Sost Maezen (ሶስት ማእዘን)
  • Taza (ታዛ)
  • Beza (ቤዛ)
  • Yewendoch Guday (የወንዶች ጉዳይ)
  • Enkoklesh (እንቆቅልሽ)
  • Balekelem Helmoch (ባለቀለም ህልሞች)
  • Hiroshima (ሂሮሽማ)
  • Rebuni (ረቡኒ)
  • Kerbie (ከርቤ)
  • Wede Lijenet (ወደ ልጅነት)
  • Siryet (ስርየት)
  • Laundry Boy (ላውንደሪ ቦይ)

Internationally successful films edit

Major events edit

Festivals edit

  • Addis International Film Festival – This festival is held annually in Addis Ababa, and seeks to provide a platform for both amateur and professional filmmakers. It was created in 2007.[20]
  • Ethiopian International Film Festival – annually held in Addis Ababa during which many Ethiopian film makers get to showcase their work and awards are handed to the best films as voted by the judges. This festival was started in 2005.

Awards edit

  • Gumma Film Awards – The most known and prestigious award in the Ethiopian film industry. Held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia annually, this award show started in 2014 and is the first film award show to be broadcast live on some television channels.

Cinema-related organizations edit

Film schools edit

  • Blue Nile Film and Television Academy
  • Yofthahe Nigussie School of Theatrical Arts
  • Addis Ababa University Visual and Performing Arts
  • Sami-Multimedia Film and Photography School (Adama, Oromia)
  • University of Gondar film and television department
  • Mekane Yesus Seminary School of Film and Media

Notable movie theatres edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Mulat, Addisalem. . All Africa. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017.
  2. ^ Ashagrie, Aboneh (2017). "The Ethiopian International Film Festival: The 7th Edition, 26 November - 2 December 2012". Journal of Cultural and Religious Studies. 5 (6). ISSN 2328-2177.
  3. ^ a b Organization, World Intellectual Property (2016-03-31). National Studies on Assessing the Economic Contribution of the Copyright-Based Industries - Series no. 9. WIPO. ISBN 978-92-805-2745-2.
  4. ^ Cine-Ethiopia: The History and Politics of Film in the Horn of Africa. Michigan State University Press. 2018. doi:10.14321/j.ctv1fxmf1.11. ISBN 978-1-61186-292-8. JSTOR 10.14321/j.ctv1fxmf1. S2CID 202316842.
  5. ^ "ETHIOPIAN CINEMA… (In the Entertainment industry. History of Ethiopian Cinema)". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  6. ^ Jedlowski, Alessandro (2015). "Screening Ethiopia: A preliminary study of the history and contemporary developments of film production in Ethiopia". Journal of African Cinemas. 7 (2): 169–185. doi:10.1386/jac.7.2.169_1. ISSN 1754-9221.
  7. ^ "Abraham Haile Biru | Camera and Electrical Department, Cinematographer, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  8. ^ "Henok Mebratu | Producer, Director, Editor". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  9. ^ "Azmari: An Ethiopian Musician". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  10. ^ "Sewmehon Yismaw | Director, Cinematographer, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  11. ^ Tewodros, Rebecca (2023-04-15). "THRILLING CREATIVITY TO THE FINEST | The Reporter | Latest Ethiopian News Today". www.thereporterethiopia.com. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  12. ^ "sewmehon-films". sewmehonfilms.com. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  13. ^ "Yismaw, Sewmehon | African Film Festival, Inc". Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  14. ^ Frankel, Davey; Lakew, Rasselas, Atletu (Biography, Drama), Rasselas Lakew, Dag Malmberg, Ruta Gedmintas, AV Patchbay, El Atleta, Instinctive Film, retrieved 2023-09-04
  15. ^ A Fool God (2019) - IMDb, retrieved 2023-09-04
  16. ^ "The Bookmaker: An ancient craft in Ethiopia". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  17. ^ Beshir, Jessica (2021-09-03), Faya Dayi (Documentary, Drama), D. J. Express, Kawa Sherif, Salih Sigirci, Doha Film Institute, Flies Collective, Ford Foundation - Just Films, retrieved 2023-08-25
  18. ^ "Faya dayi". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  19. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (2022-06-20). "Faya Dayi review – the ups and downs of khat's zonked-out bliss". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  20. ^ "Addis International Film Festival | Human Rights Film Network". www.humanrightsfilmnetwork.org. Retrieved 2022-07-05.

Further reading edit

  • "Michael W. Thomas: Bloomsbury Publishing (UK)". Bloomsbury. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  • Ndanyi, Samson Kaunga (June 2023). "Michael W. Thomas. Popular Ethiopian Cinema: Love and Other Genres. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023. 261 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $103.50. Hardback. ISBN: 9781350227408". African Studies Review. 66 (2): 551–553. doi:10.1017/asr.2023.25. ISSN 0002-0206.
  • "Popular Ethiopian Cinema". Bloomsbury. Retrieved 2023-08-25.</ref>

December 04, 2023
cinema, ethiopia, film, industry, general, relatively, recent, phenomena, ethiopia, ethiopian, film, industry, growing, faces, many, problems, that, have, prevented, from, fully, flourishing, historically, live, stage, theater, enjoyed, more, popularity, ethio. The Cinema of Ethiopia and the film industry in general are relatively recent phenomena in Ethiopia The Ethiopian film industry is growing but faces many problems that have prevented it from fully flourishing 1 Historically live stage theater enjoyed more popularity in Ethiopia creating a handful of relatively successful stage actors 1 Ethiopian films began modernizing in the 2000s implementing Amharic but due to wide home video and DVD distribution they are often frustrated by copyright infringement in the presence of piracy This was reduced in the early 2010s with the intervention of the government and the imposition of policy Despite recent developments the Ethiopian film industry continues to lack quality compared to modern world cinema and has a low budget amateurish style citation needed Cinema of EthiopiaThe Ethiopian National Theatre in Addis AbabaNo of screens273 2016 Main distributorsSebastobol ProductionProduced feature films 2018 Total57Animated4Documentary12Contents 1 History 2 Notable figures 2 1 Directors 2 2 Producers 2 3 Actors actresses 2 4 Screenwriters 3 Notable films 3 1 Domestically successful films 3 2 Internationally successful films 4 Major events 4 1 Festivals 4 2 Awards 5 Cinema related organizations 5 1 Film schools 6 Notable movie theatres 7 References 8 Further readingHistory editThe cinema of Ethiopia was introduced in 1897 2 two years after the first world film was projected on December 25 1895 in Paris However the growth rate critically declined as a result of ongoing sociopolitical instability Over decades the Ethiopian film industry has been associated with cultural religious and national backgrounds and under the pressure of its leaders advanced historical and documentary films Berhanou Abebbe wrote in the 2003 article Annales d Ethiopie that a Frenchman introduced the first cinematic artifacts in Ethiopia in 1898 sold to Italian minister Federico Ciccodicola it Ciccodicola then offered it to Emperor Menelik II as a gift According to historians Berhanou and Richard Pankhurst before the first public film screening occurred in 1909 1910 the Majesty watched several films over decades In 1923 the first cinema house was completed and built by Ethiopians Berhanou also noted that the first cinema house was called Pate and it was owned by MM Baicovich which was functional from 1909 to 1910 During the first phase of cinema introduction people were unsatisfactory to watch films Berhanou quoted the French historian Merab in his Impressions d Ethiopie 1922 people apparently didn t like to entertain themselves Pankhurst a distinguished historian published his book Economic History of Ethiopia in 1968 further elaborated that the Armenians were attempted to project by 1909 10 but only attracted by temporary interest and soon abandoned it Some natives misunderstandingly compared cinema to devil work Propelled by objection to the first house opened in 1923 the native labelled the cinema Ye Seytan Bet devil s house Chris Prouty noted that Ethiopia and Eritrea as the only country in Africa indifferent to foreign films The first Ethiopian film au de Menilek was released on 1909 directed by Charles Martel The first short film is 16mm black and white film produced on the occasion of Empress Zewditu s coronation day in 1916 In addition the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie was filmed There was also produced limited feature films In 1978 the Ethiopian Film Center to encourage film production which was later replaced by Ethiopian Film Corporation in accordance with Decree No 306 1986 It was produced 27 documentaries two of whom are notable titled BehiywetZuria and Aster However with the regime of Derg caused a split of sector with private investment 3 Little was known before internationally grossed films revived in 1990s Most of renowned figures responsible for recognition of Ethiopian films internationally are Haile Gerima Salem Mekuria Yemane Demissie and Teshome Gabriel 4 In 1993 the Ethiopian Filmmakers Association EFIMA was launched with objective of boosting the film growth in Ethiopia At the time the organization only have 27 founding members who were employees of the Ethiopian Film Corporation the only public enterprise representing the film industry The organization grew with 150 members representing five regions of the country It has been called the pioneer association to bear filmmakers in Ethiopia 3 In 2000s Ethiopian films exceptionally outgrown and implemented Amharic language However with distribution to DVD some filmmakers worried about piracy 5 According to Addis Ababa Culture and Tourism Bureau there was an increase of production into from 10 to 112 films in 2005 2012 In 2013 the Ethiopian government planned with stakeholders of various working sectors to draft a new film policy These include imposing license expanding film schools taxations increasing equipments and helping filmmakers to encourage production in culturally and diversify background However scholars such as Aboneh Ashagrie and Alessandro Jedlowski argued that the Ethiopian films may never satisfied to international premiere because of filmmaking preference in amateurish style and differ from foreign norms There are also internationally grossed films in particular Difret 2014 and Price of Love 2015 became the most acclaimed film whereas Rebuni 2015 and Yewendoch Guday 2007 were domestically successful films 6 Notable figures editDirectors edit Haile Gerima Alebachew Aragie Abraham Haile Biru 7 Henok Mebratu 8 9 Sewmehon Yismaw 10 11 12 13 Natnael Asefa Theodros Teshome Saron Abera Kidist Yilma Rasselas Lakew 14 Yared Zeleke Zeresenay Berhane Mehari Hermon Hailay Fitsum Asfaw Yared Shumete Mikyas Teka Henok Ayele Bereket Werede Yohannes Baye Jani Adanech Admassu Diribdil Assefa Fitsum Wondwossen Semagngeta Aychiluhem Dawit Shimelis Solomon Alemu Feleke Mesfin Getachew Hiwot AdmasuProducers edit Henok Mebratu 15 16 Natnael Asefa Kidst Yilma Meheret Mandefro Seyfedin ShifaActors actresses edit Meron Getnet Selam Tesfaye Tizita Hagere Rasselas Lakew Makda Afewerk Martha Goytom Fryat Yemane Kidist Siyum Rediat Amare Abebe Balcha Addisalem Getaneh Eyob Dawit Alemseged Tesfaye Hanna Yohannes Daniel Tegegn Tariku Birhanu Hanan Tarik Henok Berihun Michael Million Michael Tamire Amleset Muchie Ruta Mengistab Girum Ermias Mahder Assefa Liya Kebede Solomon Bogale Samson Tadesse Michael Shewangzaw Tigist Girma Mekdes Tsegay Muhammed Muftahi Meseret Gebru Ruth Negga Akrosia Samson Tensaye Yosef Frey Dagne Yohannes Ashenafi Sam Desu Yafet Henock Senait Ashenafi Zeritu Kebede Kassahun Fisseha Yigerem Dejene Tesfu Birhane Meseret Mebrate Tedros Kassa Behailu Engida Solomon Alemu Feleke Serawit Fikre Girum ZenebeScreenwriters edit Alebachew Aragie Theodros Teshome Bereket Werede Yared Zeleke Henok Mebratu Zeresenay Berhane Mehari Natnael Asefa Hermon Hailay Semagngeta Aychiluhem Mesfin Getachew Kidst Yilma Fitsum AsfawNotable films editFor a more comprehensive list see List of Ethiopian films Domestically successful films edit Gudifecha ጉዲፈቻ Kezkaza Wolafen ቀዝቃዛ ወላፈን Abay vs Vegas አባይ ወይስ ቬጋስ Sost Maezen ሶስት ማእዘን Taza ታዛ Beza ቤዛ Yewendoch Guday የወንዶች ጉዳይ Enkoklesh እንቆቅልሽ Balekelem Helmoch ባለቀለም ህልሞች Hiroshima ሂሮሽማ Rebuni ረቡኒ Kerbie ከርቤ Wede Lijenet ወደ ልጅነት Siryet ስርየት Laundry Boy ላውንደሪ ቦይ Internationally successful films edit Difret Doka Triangle Going to America Triangle Peak of intimacy Enchained ቁራኛዬ Selanchi Teza The Athlete The Price of Love Lambadina Harvest 3 000 Years Blood Is Not Fresh Water Running Against the Wind Faya Dayi 17 18 19 Major events editFestivals edit Addis International Film Festival This festival is held annually in Addis Ababa and seeks to provide a platform for both amateur and professional filmmakers It was created in 2007 20 Ethiopian International Film Festival annually held in Addis Ababa during which many Ethiopian film makers get to showcase their work and awards are handed to the best films as voted by the judges This festival was started in 2005 Awards edit Gumma Film Awards The most known and prestigious award in the Ethiopian film industry Held in Addis Ababa Ethiopia annually this award show started in 2014 and is the first film award show to be broadcast live on some television channels Cinema related organizations editFilm schools edit Blue Nile Film and Television Academy Yofthahe Nigussie School of Theatrical Arts Addis Ababa University Visual and Performing Arts Sami Multimedia Film and Photography School Adama Oromia University of Gondar film and television department Mekane Yesus Seminary School of Film and MediaNotable movie theatres editSebastopol Cinema Gast Cinema Alem Cinema Century Cinema Agona Cinema Mati MultiplexReferences edit a b Mulat Addisalem Ethiopia Actress Stepping Up the Ladder of Success All Africa Archived from the original on July 31 2017 Ashagrie Aboneh 2017 The Ethiopian International Film Festival The 7th Edition 26 November 2 December 2012 Journal of Cultural and Religious Studies 5 6 ISSN 2328 2177 a b Organization World Intellectual Property 2016 03 31 National Studies on Assessing the Economic Contribution of the Copyright Based Industries Series no 9 WIPO ISBN 978 92 805 2745 2 Cine Ethiopia The History and Politics of Film in the Horn of Africa Michigan State University Press 2018 doi 10 14321 j ctv1fxmf1 11 ISBN 978 1 61186 292 8 JSTOR 10 14321 j ctv1fxmf1 S2CID 202316842 ETHIOPIAN CINEMA In the Entertainment industry History of Ethiopian Cinema www linkedin com Retrieved 2021 06 23 Jedlowski Alessandro 2015 Screening Ethiopia A preliminary study of the history and contemporary developments of film production in Ethiopia Journal of African Cinemas 7 2 169 185 doi 10 1386 jac 7 2 169 1 ISSN 1754 9221 Abraham Haile Biru Camera and Electrical Department Cinematographer Producer IMDb Retrieved 2023 09 04 Henok Mebratu Producer Director Editor IMDb Retrieved 2023 09 04 Azmari An Ethiopian Musician www aljazeera com Retrieved 2023 09 04 Sewmehon Yismaw Director Cinematographer Producer IMDb Retrieved 2023 08 25 Tewodros Rebecca 2023 04 15 THRILLING CREATIVITY TO THE FINEST The Reporter Latest Ethiopian News Today www thereporterethiopia com Retrieved 2023 08 25 sewmehon films sewmehonfilms com Retrieved 2023 08 25 Yismaw Sewmehon African Film Festival Inc Retrieved 2023 08 25 Frankel Davey Lakew Rasselas Atletu Biography Drama Rasselas Lakew Dag Malmberg Ruta Gedmintas AV Patchbay El Atleta Instinctive Film retrieved 2023 09 04 A Fool God 2019 IMDb retrieved 2023 09 04 The Bookmaker An ancient craft in Ethiopia www aljazeera com Retrieved 2023 09 04 Beshir Jessica 2021 09 03 Faya Dayi Documentary Drama D J Express Kawa Sherif Salih Sigirci Doha Film Institute Flies Collective Ford Foundation Just Films retrieved 2023 08 25 Faya dayi The Criterion Collection Retrieved 2023 08 25 Bradshaw Peter 2022 06 20 Faya Dayi review the ups and downs of khat s zonked out bliss The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 2023 08 25 Addis International Film Festival Human Rights Film Network www humanrightsfilmnetwork org Retrieved 2022 07 05 Further reading edit Michael W Thomas Bloomsbury Publishing UK Bloomsbury Retrieved 2023 08 25 Ndanyi Samson Kaunga June 2023 Michael W Thomas Popular Ethiopian Cinema Love and Other Genres London Bloomsbury Academic 2023 261 pp Notes Bibliography Index 103 50 Hardback ISBN 9781350227408 African Studies Review 66 2 551 553 doi 10 1017 asr 2023 25 ISSN 0002 0206 Popular Ethiopian Cinema Bloomsbury Retrieved 2023 08 25 lt ref gt Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cinema of Ethiopia amp oldid 1188315825, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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