"Price Of Love" (Amharic/English 2015) is directed by Hermon Hailay and features cast members Eskindir Tameru, Fereweni Gebregergs, Kassahun Getatchew, Solomon Teka and Dawit Gulilat. (Courtesy photo)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Monday, May 2nd, 2016
New York (TADIAS) — At least seven Ethiopian films are set to screen in NYC in May 2016 as part of the New York African Film Festival and the 13th Annual Sheba Film Festival.
Hermon Hailay’s Price of Love will be featured at Lincoln Center this week at the NY African Film Festival as well as Director Yared Zeleke’s award-winning drama LAMB; Red Leaves by Bazi Gete starring Debebe Eshetu; Afripedia X New York by Ethiopian and Eritrean filmmakers Teddy Goitom and Senay Berhe of Sweden; and The Dance of King David by Axel Baumann exploring the Ark of the Covenant. In addition, If Only I Were That Warrior, directed by Valerio Ciriaci about “the Italian occupation of Ethiopia and its unresolved legacy today,” will screen on May 24th at Tsion Cafe in Harlem as part of the 2016 Sheba Film Festival.
Below are the schedules, venues and brief descriptions of the films as shared by festival organizers.
PRICE OF LOVE – CENTERPIECE NIGHT FILM (N.Y. PREMIERE)
May 6th and May 10th
Hermon Hailay, Ethiopia, 2015, 99min.
In Amharic with English subtitles
Teddy (Eskindir Tameru), the son of a prostitute who grew up on the streets after his mother’s death, desperately tries to avoid the temptation of his old ways of chewing khat and drinking. His only support system is his priest, who bought him a taxi license on the condition that he live a decent life away from his past. But after Teddy intervenes in a fight between a prostitute, Fere (Fereweni Gebregergs), and her ex-boyfriend, who sells women to “work” in the Middle East, his taxi is stolen by the latter as leverage. As a result, Teddy finds himself caught up in a relationship with Fere, and during the search for the car, they discover the price of love..
http://www.filmlinc.org/films/price-of-love/
THE DANCE OF KING DAVID
May 9th
Axel Baumann, USA, 2011, 32min.
In English and Amharic with English subtitles
Over 2900 years ago, King David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. When he did, King David, “danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). The Dance of King David is a documentary film about the history and the contemporary worship of the Ark. This film examines the disappearance of the Ark from Israel and its reemergence in Ethiopia. We witness the “Dance of King David,”—an ancient rite still performed today by Jews and Ethiopians alike and we learn firsthand what it means to believe in the supernatural powers of this sacred object. (Screening with Black Jews: The Roots of the Olive Tree)
http://purchase.filmlinc.org/single/SelectSeating.aspx?p=31679
AFRIPEDIA X NEW YORK
May 10th
Teddy Goitom, Benjamin Taft, Senay Berhe, Sweden/USA, 2016, 12min.
In English
In the first in a series of short films set in the African diaspora, we meet Ethiopian/Eritrean Missla Libsekal, the founder of online publication Another Africa, as she embraces collaboration to counter the assumed perspectives of Africa and Africans. Senegalese/French photographer Delphine Diallo shares her passion and challenges in mindfully shifting her lens between Dakar and New York, while Somalian/Australian world champion Hula Hoop master Marawa continues to perfect her passion in the face of conventional expectations. Welcome toAfripedia, welcome to creativity.
http://www.filmlinc.org/films/shorts-program-2-africa-in-new-york/
LAMB
May 26th
Yared Zeleke, Ethiopia/France/Germany/Norway/Qatar, 2015, 94min.
In Amharic with English subtitles
Yared Zeleke’s remarkable debut feature tells the story of Ephraim, a young Ethiopian boy who is sent by his father to live with distant relatives in the countryside after his mother’s death. Ephraim uses his cooking skills to carve out a place among his cousins, but when his uncle decides that his beloved sheep must be sacrificed for the next religious feast, he will do anything to save the animal and return home.
RED LEAVES
May 27th
Bazi Gete, Israel, 2014, 80min.
In Amharic and Hebrew with English subtitles
Seventy-four-year-old Meseganio Tadela (Debebe Eshetu) immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia nearly 30 years ago, but has zealously chosen to retain his culture, speaking very little Hebrew. When his wife passes away, he sets out on a journey to visit his fully assimilated children, eventually coming to realize that he belongs to a rapidly disappearing class. Ethiopian-Israeli director Bazi Gete’s debut feature is a beautifully acted, movingly rendered portrait of a man struggling with his place in the world. (Screening with Cholo)
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SHEBA FILM FESTIVAL BY BINA CULTURAL FOUNDATION AT TSION CAFE
763 St Nicholas Ave, New York, New York 10031
MEKONEN: THE JOURNEY OF AN AFRICAN JEW
May 10th
Directed by Rebecca Shore , Israel/Ethiopia , 2015, 45 mins
Synopsis:
The film follows the backstory and personal journey of Mekonen Abebe, a young African-Israeli Jew, once a young shepherd in Africa and now a commander in the Israeli Defense Forces. Mekonen is one of many brave young men and women drafted into compulsory service in the IDF, to defend their homeland and the liberal values of democracy, freedom and equality. Born and raised in an Ethiopian village, Mekonen was a 12-year-old shepherd when his father died suddenly, less than a day before his family was to move to Israel. The film accompanies Mekonen back to Africa on an emotional journey. He explores his roots, makes peace with his past and embraces his future in Israel. After a difficult adjustment period in Israel, Mekonen was fortunate to attend the Hodayot High School, which educates children from troubled backgrounds and helps integrate them into Israeli society. Mekonen became a decorated officer in the IDF, while staying true to his Ethiopian roots and culture. Mekonen is an uplifting and inspiring film that will move audiences and show viewers that anything is possible with the right attitude, tools and support.
IF ONLY I WERE THAT WARRIOR
May 24th
Directed Valerio Ciriaci, USA/Italy, 2015, 72 mins
Synopsis:
“If Only I Were That Warrior” is a film about the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1935 and its unresolved legacy today. Driving this investigation is the story of a recently constructed monument to Rodolfo Graziani, a Fascist general remembered for war crimes committed during the invasion and occupation of Ethiopia, which sparked international protests and brought this chapter of history back to the forefront of public discourse. The film’s primary aim is to offer an unprecedented glance at the controversial memory of the Fascist invasion in Ethiopia. Italy’s uncomfortable relationship with its colonial past has been a matter of discussion in academia, but the general public never engaged in a critical discourse on the real events that took place during Mussolini’s campaigns in Africa. No court ever reviewed the crimes committed. Graziani, a main player during the Ethiopian campaign and later the viceroy of the new colony, was never put on trial for his crimes. To this day many remember him as a hero in his hometown of Affile, the small town not far from Rome where the monument was erected in 2012.
Film followed by Q&A with Director
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