ANBESSA

86 minutes
Ethiopia | Italy | USA

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

Sales by Lightdox
Distribution with ARTE/ZDF, Mubi.com & Torch Films (USA).

"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."
— Little Village

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"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 :

CONTRIBUTE TO ASALIF

Asalif, the young protagonist of this film, is a genius.

If you want to contribute to him and 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.

FESTIVALS, SCREENINGS & AWARDS

69° Berlinale International Film Festival
* Crystal Bear Nominee
* Glashütte Documentary Prize Nominee

IDFA 2019
* Kids & Docs Competition Selection

40° Durban International Film Festival
* Awarded Special Mention for Best Documentary

Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival
* Official Selection - World Cinema Showcase

Rooftop Films
* Official Selection

DOC NYC
* Official Selection

22° Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
* Official Selection - Docs for Kids

Human Rights Watch Film Festival London
* Official Selection

MiradasDoc
* Awarded El Mirador Award for Best Documentary Feature

21° Olympia Intl Film Festival for Children & Youth
* Awarded ECFA Award for Best Documentary

19° Rome Independent Film Festival
* National Competition Selection

Addis Ababa International Film Festival
* Opening Night Film

Sole Luna Doc Fest
* Awarded Best Cinematography Prize

MountainFilm Telluride
* Awarded Best Director Award
* Awarded Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Feature

RiverRun Intl Film Festival
* Awarded Special Mention for Best Documentary Feature

Afrikaldia Film Festival (Basque Country, Spain)
* Awarded Special Mention for Best Feature Documentary

Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA) 2019
* Awarded Best Cinematography Prize

Ethiopia Film Week London
* Opening Night Film

Fabrique du Cinéma Awards 2020
* Nomination for Best International Documentary

Olafur Eliasson Studios
special screening in the artist's studio in Berlin

Copenhagen Architecture Festival
in collaboration with the 2019 C40 World Mayor's Summit

Stockfish Film Festival - Iceland
* Documentary Feature Competition Selection

This Human World Film Festival - Vienna
* Official Selection - Dis:pace:ments

16° Les Mois du Film Documentaire - Paris
* International Documentary Feature Competition Selection

Docudays Ukraine
* International Documentary Feature Competition Selection

Maryland Film Festival
* Official Selection

Busan International Children & Youth Festival
* Embrace the Difference Competition Selection

UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival - Italy
* Opening Night Film

Ljubljana International Film Festival
* International Documentary Feature Competition

Cleveland International Film Festival
* Documentary Feature Competition Selection
* Nomination for Standing Up Film Award

Heartland Film Festival - USA
* Documentary Feature Competition Selection

Santa Fe Independent Film Festival - USA
* International Documentary Feature Competition Selection

Woods Hole Film Festival - USA
* Awarded Runner-Up for Best Documentary Feature

Nairobi Film Festival - Kenya
Cucalorus Film Festival - USA
London Migration Film Festival
UrbanEye Film Festival - Romania
Mammoth Lakes Film Festival - USA
Festival de Cine de Derechos Humanos Sucre - Bolivia
Berkshire International Film Festival - USA
San Francisco IndieFest
Pripovedovalski Festival - Slovenia
Take One Action Film Festival - Scotland
FlyWay Film Festival - USA
New Hampshire Film Festival - USA
Tumbleweed Film Festival - USA
DC Environmental Film Festival
Ashland Independent Film Festival - USA
Port Townsend Film Festival - USA
Gimli Film Festival - Canada
Moab Film Festival - USA
International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh
DOCUTAH - USA
Northwest Film Forum By Design Festival - Seattle, USA
Arquiteturas Film Festival - Lisbon
Mi Primer Festival - Peru
Bahamas Film Festival
MyArt Film Festival
Under the Stars International Film Festival - Italy
SIMA Cambodia Film Festival
New African Film Festival - USA

additional screenings

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