In an email dated July 31, 2007, a person named Ben Mandell posted an online message on the art-topia forum summoning the participation of the Diaspora Ethiopian community in his upcoming film, Abyssinia Rising (working title). At the time, what I gathered from Ben’s email was that the pending work would be a feature length documentary film with a story line involving three characters (an Ethiopian American, a Beta-Israeli and a Muslim) and their eventual return to their home country, Ethiopia, for the Ethiopian Millennium.
Although I did not get the opportunity to respond to Ben’s initial email message, I recently learned that since then, Ben has traveled between the US, Israel and Ethiopia to make his dream a reality. In fact, Ben has journeyed from the production phase and is currently in post production so that the film could be released in mid 2008. At the time of his email, however, his inquiry had certainly made me wonder as to how likely it would be for a non-Ethiopian to actually realize the cultural and social significance of the new millennium to Ethiopians in general. Would this person have the credence to present us with an absolutely positive and impartial film that would reveal the true essence of this once in a life time occasion and attach substantive meaning and relevance to it? Furthermore, what would compel this young American filmmaker to dispense his hard earned money and travel thousands of miles to make a film about the Ethiopian Millennium?
Surely, film making is an expensive and a difficult undertaking. Depending on its complexity, for example, a five minute film clip on your television screen may have resulted from weeks of pre-production work, at least three hours of production, another three or more hours of editing and cost thousands of dollars. So, in Ben’s case, for instance, in addition to the possible exorbitant production cost of a feature length film, we would have to factor in travel and accommodation expenses, adding more challenge to the work at hand. Although I had thought that the project Ben was about to embark was quite commendable, I had also assumed that poor Ben may be wasting his time and money while making a documentary film especially in a time where we could argue about the existence of an Ethiopian film industry. I have valid reasons for making such a bold statement.
Ask any Ethiopian filmmaker and you would learn that the chance of breaking even from producing a film is very slim. While it is true that going to the movies is a growing trend in Addis Ababa, the money earned either from showing the film in the cinema halls or selling them on DVDs is quite nominal. There are many reasons leading to this predicament. First, getting the necessary funds for any film project can be a very challenging task. Because of this, the filmmakers must endure the burden of financing their own films. And once the filmmaking task is completed, they must also compete with other filmmakers to find a venue to show their films. Currently, there are ten places where one can watch a movie in Addis Ababa, out of which only two are equipped with proper projection and sound equipment (Alem Cinema and the new Edna Mall). The rest are either too old or happen to be theater halls where you are required to bring your own projector and sound system.
The problem doesn’t end there. In our current condition, there is no sensible business model by which filmmakers could financially benefit from their works. There is this thing called 20% “recreation tax” on ticket price (not on profit) which every film producer must pay in addition to the 15% VAT (value added tax) which has to be paid at the end of the year. Second, the cinema halls charge a hefty amount for the use of their facility (except in the case of Alem Cinema which would charge $20 birr per person and split half of it with the filmmaker). In addition, we do not have a well structured film promotion and distribution system set in place. Let us not also forget the growing problem of piracy. Venture the city of Addis and you would encounter young boys selling pirated CDs and DVDs of both old and newly released works in the open. So, with all these hurdles facing Ethiopian filmmakers, I had wondered where Ben’s new documentary film would stand, that is, if there is ever a large appeal to documentary films in Ethiopia.
A recent interview I conducted with Ben dispelled all the doubts and skepticism I had harbored initially. Through this interview, I have come to realize that Ben’s new film is in fact, grand in scope and aimed with a loftier purpose than what his initial email had implied. The truth is this filmmaker’s aspiration goes well beyond the passion he has for films or the need to earn a name or break even for his work! It stems from the humble and altruistic appreciation he has for other’s cultures. He has made it clear to me that nothing could compare to the unforgettable experience he had encountered while crafting this film in Ethiopia.
As an artist and an experienced filmmaker, Ben plans to use this film as a tool to capture truth and share his vision with the rest of the world. After the interview, I have also come to realize that without Ben’s new film, for many of us the Ethiopian millennium and its significance in our lives would perhaps remain just a memory etched in the back of our minds. It may be through this very film that we may come to cherish and reflect upon this important moment in time for years to come. I have no doubt that Ben’s new film would bring about hope, change and inspiration to every Ethiopian as well as serve as a true reminder that Abyssinia is indeed rising.
The interview I conducted with Ben about his upcoming film will be available in the next issue of www.theethiopianamerican.com and for more information on the film check out
www.abyssiniarising.com.
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