ANBESSA

Asalif and his mother defy Ethiopia’s omnipresent modern housing development culture, by continuing to live a life characterized by proximity to nature and rootedness in community. The boy counters the ruptures in his accustomed surroundings and the threat posed by the hyena that haunts his neighbourhood by reinventing himself as a hero: as Anbessa, the lion. In this imaginative documental study, Mo Scarpelli (Berlinale Talents Alumna 2018) focuses her attention on social realities and the dreams of her 10-year-old protagonist.