Price of Love, in Amharic, has been nominated for Africa's top film award at the Fespaco festival. (BBC)
By Emmanuel Igunza
Addis Ababa – Ethiopian scriptwriter and film director Hermon Hailay says she grew up close to prostitutes.
“I know them as young, beautiful women, mothers, sisters and friends,” she tells me at a popular cinema in the middle of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
“I always wanted to tell their story, because I know it well. As a kid, I did not see the shame in what they do.”
At just 28, Ms Hermon has already written and directed three feature films all tackling social issues like poverty and the perils of rural to urban migration.
She was getting ready to travel to Burkina Faso for the Fespaco awards, where her latest film, Price of Love, has been nominated for the top prize.
It follows the life of a young taxi driver who in the course of his job falls in love with a prostitute.
Cinemas showing the latest releases are popular in Addis Ababa.
Read more at BBC News »
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