ANBESSA
86 minutes
Ethiopia | Italy | USA
+ World Premiere at the 69° Berlinale
* Crystal Bear nominee
* Glashütte Documentary Prize nominee
...
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
+ IDFA 2019
+ 60° FICCI
+ 22° Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
+ Hot Docs 2019
+ 40° Durban Intl Film Festival - Jury Special Mention for Best Documentary
+ MiradasDoc -El Mirador Award for Best Documentary Feature
+ MountainFilm Telluride - Best Director Award
+ River Run Intl Film Festival - Jury Special Mention for Best Documentary
+ SIMA Award for Best Cinematography
... more below
"A masterful work of sensory ethnography."
— Film Stage
"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
"Visually arresting... incredibly fascinating and absolutely worth watching."
— Film Threat
"Eloquent... a tender portrait"
— Sight & Sound
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"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
United States + Canada
preorder to watch the film starting 22 May here :
Africa
stream now here :
INTERNATIONAL SALES
SWEET SPOT DOCS
Anna Berthollet
anna@sweetspotdocs.com
NORTH AMERICA SALES
RAKE FILMS
hello@rakefilms.com
"ANBESSA does not play tricks... beautiful, humorous and thought-provoking."
— Little Village
UPCOMING SCREENINGS
also follow screenings via our Facebook page here >
MAY 15-mid-June
virtual cinema theatrical run for USA + Canada
SNF Parkway Theatre - stream the film here >
MAY 15-JUNE 15
Ashland Independent Film Festival
Ashland, OR, USA
MAY 19-28
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
Thessaloniki, Greece
JULY 7-13
Buson International Children & Youth Film Festival
*Korean Premiere
SEPT 17-27
Atlanta Film Festival
OCT 16-23
Pripovedovalski Festival / Storytelling Festival
Ljubljana, Slovenia
DEC 2020 (dates TBA)
FREEP Film Festival
Detroit, MI, USA
PREVIOUS FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
+ 69° Berlinale International Film Festival
* Generational KPlus - Crystal Bear Nominee
* Glashütte Documentary Prize Nominee
+ IDFA 2019
* Kids & Docs Competition Nominee
+ 40° Durban International Film Festival
* Special Mention for Best Documentary
+ Human Rights Watch Film Festival London 2019
+ Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival 2019
+ Rooftop Films 2019
+ DOC NYC 2019
+ 60° Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias (FICCI)
+ MiradasDoc 2020 - Tenerife, Spain
* El Mirador Award for Best Documentary Feature
+ MountainFilm Telluride 2019
* 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 2020
* Jury Honorary Mention for Best Documentary Feature
+ Stockfish Film Festival 2020
+ This Human World Film Festival 2019 (Vienna)
+ Docudays Ukraine 2020
+ London Migration Film Festival 2019 (Bertha DocHouse)
+ UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival 2019 (Florence, Italy)
+ Ljubljana International Film Festival 2019
+ Heartland Film Festival 2019
+ Cleveland International Film Festival 2020
+ Cucalorus Film Festival 2019
+ Santa Fe Independent Film Festival 2019
+ Mammoth Lakes Film Festival 2019
+ Berkshire International Film Festival 2019
+ San Francisco DocFest 2019
+ Woods Hole Film Festival
*Runner-up for Best Documentary Feature
+ Port Townsend Film Festival 2019
+ Take One Action Film Festival 2019 (Scotland)
+ FlyWay Film Festival 2019
+ New Hampshire Film Festival 2019
+ Tumbleweed Film Festival 2020
+ DC Environmental Film Festival 2020
PREVIOUS OTHER SCREENINGS
+ Olafur Eliasson Studios
*Special screening for the artist's studio in Berlin
+ Other Cinema series, The Yellow at Wembley Park - London
+ FilmScene - Iowa City, USA
+ Art of Buna - Cologne, Germany
+ Doctober at the Pickford Film Centre - Seattle, USA
+ Copenhagen Architecture Festival
in collaboration with the 2019 C40 World Mayor's Summit
+ UCLA
hosted by Luskin School & African Studies Center
+ CineCulture at Fresno State University
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 >
BRING ANBESSA TO YOUR SCHOOL
We are proud to partner with TORCH FILMS to bring ANBESSA to universities,
schools, and communities across North America.
Would you like to host a screening of 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
"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
