IT IS A SOUL: A Portrait of Hailu Mergia

Under African Skies: Ethiopia

1989

First aired on TV on the BBC Two on 29 September 1989, this second episode of the documentary series "Under African Skies", a grand project aimed at presenting the rich diversity of contemporary African music of those days and known for its unforgettable memento "A celebration of the new sounds of a continent. " traverses the nostalgic roots and the euphoric contours of Ethiopian music of the '80s.

The Unknown Famine

1973

Jonathan Dimbleby’s landmark 1973 documentary “The Unknown Famine” stands as a pivotal moment in Ethiopian history—a journalistic endeavour that not only exposed a humanitarian crisis but inadvertently helped precipitate the end of Africa’s oldest monarchy. The footage was broadcast by ITV for its flagship affairs series named "This Week".

Abyssinia

1999

A sentimental, delightful journey along the former railway route “Porečanka” that connected Trieste and Poreč from 1902 until 1935. Then it was dismantled and the tracks to be used in Mussolini’s war in Abyssinia but they sank in the Mediterranean – an ironic turn of history, an ideal subject for Karpo Godina, the master of tender wit.

Into the Inferno

2016

With stunning views of eruptions and lava flows, Werner Herzog captures the raw power of volcanoes and their ties to indigenous spiritual practices.

Flight Over Abyssinia

1934

A travelogue of Ethiopia by plane, automobile and mule, showing the lives, customs, and habits of the people, and the conditions of the country.

Adwa

1999

In 1896, Ethiopia, an African nation, largely armed with spears and knives, defeats a well-equipped and organized Italian military bent on colonization.

African Spirit

2009

A celebration of the diversity of Ethiopia's culture and wildlife. It journeys from North to South - spanning mountains, rainforests and the hottest place on Earth. It documents Muslims mixing with Christians as they have for over a millennia and the 'honey people' of the forest, filmed here for the first time. Visually stunning and unsentimental, this is Ethiopia as you've never seen it before.

Do You Remember Me?

2022

Sara from Zurich was circumcised as a little girl in Ethiopia. This event severely traumatized her. To find her inner peace, Sara decides to look for her circumciser.

The Imperial Lullaby

2020

The armies of Fascist Italy conquered Addis Ababa, capital of Abyssinia, in May 1936, thus culminating the African colonial adventure of the ruthless dictator Benito Mussolini, by then lord of Libya, Eritrea and Somalia; a bloody and tragic story told through the naive drawings of Pietro Dall'Igna, an Italian schoolboy born in 1925.

Ethiopia

1985

A brief visit to the unique wildlife and peoples of Ethiopia. Expect the unexpected.

Baboon King

2017

In Africa's Simien Mountains, Braveheart is the undisputed king of his gelada family. For four years, he has fought off predators, kept the peace, and in return, has had his pick of potential mates. But now, his reign is under siege by a pack of marauding males, led by Braveheart's younger brother, Tiko, who has a score to settle. Witness this royal battle up close as we enter the most complex social structure of any animal except humans, one where women rule the roost and have final say on who sits on the throne and for how long.

Dukas Dilemma

2002

Ethiopiques Magnetic Suite

2024

Dazzled by the surrealist movement, Francis Falceto decided at the age of 17 to live an extraordinary life. In the 1980s, co-created l'Oreille est Hardie and Le Confort Moderne in Poitiers, leaving his mark on French underground culture. A record he discovered by chance opened another important chapter in his life: Ethiopian music, of which he became a great champion. "Ethiopiques Magnetic Suite" is the portrait of a discreet and essential man, a plunge into the counterculture, an invitation to live his his life.

Negotiating Amnesia

2015

Negotiating Amnesia is an essay film based on research conducted at the Alinari Archive and the National Library in Florence. It focuses on the Ethiopian War of 1935-36 and the legacy of the fascist, imperial drive in Italy. Through interviews, archival images and the analysis of high-school textbooks employed in Italy since 1946, the film shifts through different historical and personal anecdotes, modes and technologies of representation.

Amakki

2024

A dream-like exploration of the interconnected lives of two women and two children, celebrating the profound moments of love, loss, and resilience that shape the tapestry of womanhood. Set to the backdrop of Sidama's coffee-growing hills, 'Amakki', meaning 'your mother', captures the intricate threads that bind these women to the land, to each other, and to the unspoken essence of motherhood. The language spoken in this film is Sidaamu Afoo.