ANBESSA
86 minutes
Ethiopia | Italy | USA
69° Berlinale
...
A boy caught between the ancient and the new navigates modernization on his own terms. By becoming a lion (anbessa) he can fight back against the forces outside of his control.
...
Directed by Mo Scarpelli
Producers - Caitlin Mae Burke, Mo Scarpelli
Exec Producers - Danielle Perissi, Gelila Bekele
Assoc Producers - D.D. Wigley, Pierce Varous
Dir of Photography - Mo Scarpelli
Editors - Nico Leunen, Thomas Pooters
Music - Erik K Skodvin
Produced by Rake Films
in association with Moby Group
"A masterful work of sensory ethnography."
— Film Stage
"Visually arresting... incredibly fascinating and absolutely worth watching."
— Film Threat
"Eloquent... a tender portrait"
— Sight & Sound
"ANBESSA does not play tricks... beautiful, humorous and thought-provoking."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Hope and despair intermingle in a profoundly cinematic mix."
— Hammer To Nail
.** One of Filmmaker Magazine's Most Anticipated Films of 2019
** One of Vox.com's 16 Great Documentaries of 2019
WATCH THE FILM :
FESTIVALS, SCREENINGS & AWARDS
69° Berlinale International Film Festival
* Crystal Bear Nominee
* Glashütte Documentary Prize Nominee
IDFA 2019
40° Durban International Film Festival
* Special Mention for Best Documentary
MiradasDoc
* El Mirador Award for Best Documentary Feature
Sole Luna Doc Fest
*Best Cinematography
MountainFilm Telluride
* Best Director Award
* Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Feature
21° Olympia Intl Film Festival for Children & Youth
*ECFA Award for Best Documentary
RiverRun Intl Film Festival
* Jury Honorary Mention for Best Documentary Feature
22° Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
Human Rights Watch Film Festival London
60° Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias (FICCI)
Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival
Rooftop Films
DOC NYC
Rome Independent Film Festival
* Best National Film Nominee
Olafur Eliasson Studios
*Special screening for the artist's studio in Berlin
Copenhagen Architecture Festival
in collaboration with the 2019 C40 World Mayor's Summit
Stockfish Film Festival
This Human World Film Festival
Docudays Ukraine
London Migration Film Festival
Busan International Children & Youth Festival
UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival - Italy
Ljubljana International Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival
Cleveland International Film Festival
Cucalorus Film Festival
Santa Fe Independent Film Festival
Mammoth Lakes Film Festival
Berkshire International Film Festival
San Francisco DocFest
Pripovedovalski Festival - Slovenia
Take One Action Film Festival - Scotland
FlyWay Film Festival
New Hampshire Film Festival
Tumbleweed Film Festival
DC Environmental Film Festival
Ashland Independent Film Festival
Woods Hole Film Festival
Port Townsend Film Festival
Gimli Film Festival
FREEP Detroit Film Festival
Other Cinema series - London
FilmScene - Iowa City, USA
Art of Buna - Cologne, Germany
Doctober at the Pickford Film Centre - Seattle, USA
UCLA Luskin School & African Studies Center
CineCulture at Fresno State University
INTERNATIONAL SALES
SWEET SPOT DOCS
Anna Berthollet
anna@sweetspotdocs.com
NORTH AMERICA SALES
RAKE FILMS
hello@rakefilms.com
REQUEST A SCREENER
ANBESSA is currently showing at festivals, cinemas, universities and other venues around the world.
Please email hello [at] rakefilms [dot] com for a private screener + to set up a screening.
PRESS KIT
Download it here >
FOLLOW ALONG
We post about festivals, screenings, TV broadcasts and other updates on
@anbessathefilm
facebook.com/anbessafilm
or sign up for email updates here >
EDUCATIONAL SCREENINGS & LICENSING
We are proud to partner with TORCH FILMS to bring ANBESSA to universities,
schools, and communities across North America.
Screen ANBESSA at your school or local organization, or purchase the film for your school's library.
CONTRIBUTE
Asalif, the young protagonist of this film, is a genius.
If you feel moved by the film and want to contribute to him + his future, you can here:
PAYPAL.ME/ANBESSAFILM
All the money in this PayPal account is sent to Asalif's bank account in Ethiopia.
Thank you.
MORE PRESS
"A touching document that leaves us pensive in the face of our overconsumption society.
The realization is very neat and so very successful."
— Télécable Sat
"Between real and imaginary, a beautiful portrait of a child...
which gives shape to his inner universe while exposing the difficulties of its existence."
— Télérama France
"Radiates an uncommon lightness and a deep sense of harmony with the world around us."
— MyMovies Italy
'Anbessa' Director Mo Scarpelli on the Impact of Modernisation in Ethiopia
— Close Up Culture Magazine
Anbessa, the strength of the lion in the Ethiopia of change
— Cinecittà News
Fairytales from the In-Between
— Feminist Dispatch Magazine
Growing Pains in Ethiopia: Film Spotlights
Hidden Cost of Urban Growth
— Voice of America
Berlin 2019: Screen's guide to the Special,
Generation and Forum titles
— Screen Daily
Stolz like a lion
— Der Taggespiegel
Berlin: First Generation Section Films Unveiled
— Variety
ANBESSA in La Lucarne
— ARTE Magazine
Ranked in Top 20 of all Berlinale Films
— Cannes/Berlinale Critics Rankings
