ETHIOPIAN CINEMA… (In the Entertainment industry. History of Ethiopian Cinema)

Early Ethiopian Film from Minilik II Haile Selassie I / Photo Credit: Free Ethiopian Movie and Drama - Ethiopian Movies

ETHIOPIAN CINEMA… (In the Entertainment industry. History of Ethiopian Cinema)

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Ethiopian Cinema

The Cinema of Ethiopia and the film industry in general is a relatively recent phenomenon in Ethiopia. Ethiopian film industry is growing, but faces many problems that have prevent it from fully flourish. Historically live stage theater enjoyed more popularity in Ethiopia creating a handful of relatively successful stage actors.

Ethiopia is the only African nation with its own script and a history of ancient literary heritage, making it the countries of the ancient civilized world. With regard to film Cinema was introduced to Ethiopia only three years after the world's first film ever was projected in Paris in December 28, 1895 by the Louis Lumiere brothers. In terms of film production there were, off course Ethiopians who made some documentary and few feature films. Foreigners also produce few feature films. However due to the huge investment film making required ,and socio- political instability of the country for long period of time film production is still in its infant stage. After a long absence in the past ten years the art of making movies with better qualities and concepts in Ethiopia is growing much more than any other time in the past following the country’s recent economic growth.

Ethiopia has been labeled possessing a long history of three thousand years and more. At various times, its governors and rulers had played their roles in shaping the geographical, cultural, historical, religious etc. -all aspects of the country. As a result most of the status quo today is, to a great extent, the legacy of our past history. That is why the growth and development of film production and practice go back and forth for the past hundred years. As a matter of fact the film art and technology had been introduced to Ethiopian almost as equal as to Europeans, but still the industry is in its infant stage.

During Emperor Minilik II reign at the palace. , Dr. Berhanuo Abebe (2003) in an article appeared in 'Annales d'Ethiopie ', a French journal on Ethiopia, he wrote that in 1898, a Frenchman from Algeria brought one of the first cinematic artifacts to Ethiopia, and sold it to the Italian minister Ciccodicola, who presented it to Emperor Menilek of Ethiopia as a gift. (Arefayine 2006) By looking back to the historical happenings at the time of Minilik one can come up with a wild guess, like other imported technologies of the time the clergy had heard about the inventions of film technologies and had a lot of interest to get the Cinematograph. According to the two most prominent Historians Dr. Berhanuo and R. Pankerest books before the first public film screening occurred in (1909-1910) the majesty watched several films in his palace almost for more than a decade. Some of the scholarly written works mentioned the year the public introduced to film is 1923 which means after 26 years of the first cinematograph arrived in the country. Rather 1923 is the possible year the first cinema house owned and built by Ethiopians. Dr. Berhanou, further elaborate this point, there was a film house called 'Pate' owned by MM. Baicovich from 1909 -1910. People were stunned by this magical invention for the first months but soon they turned in different. A French historian, Merab, in his 'Impressions d'Ethiopie (1922), quoted by Dr. Berhanou, said, 'people apparently didn't like to entertain themselves.’

Also Dr. Richard Pankhurst (1968), a distinguished historian with several publications and books to his credit, in his widely-acclaimed book 'Economic History of Ethiopia' further strengthen the above point, about another attempt made in 1909-10 by some Armenians, but the project attracted only temporary interest, and was soon abandoned. (Arefayine 2006) The clergy, who were very powerful and influential, intensely opposed to this new medium. By the people who are resistant to modern technology associated cinema to the devil’s work. This is attested by the naming of the first cinema.

Which was opened in the year 1923. According to, Encyclopedia Aethiopica, Vol. I (2003), in the early days cinema, cinema houses were called 'Ye Seytan Bet', (House of Satan), a definition which well suited the technological “devilry ˮ of cinematographically combined images and movement. The introduction of this magical medium to Ethiopia was quite different in its historical and political context when it compared to the rest of Africans. Film brought to most of African countries following the foot stapes of their colonizers. According to Chris Prouty, Ethiopia and Eritrea are one of the more documented countries in the African continent. The first Ethiopian movie au de Menilek was made in 1909 by a French man, Charles Martel.

Since the early-to-mid 2000s, Ethiopia has experienced a phenomenal growth in the production of locally made video films. Much like the video film industries that have emerged in other African nations such as Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania, the Ethiopian industry has adopted a commercially driven model. Films use Amharic, the lingua-franca of the country, as their main language, are funded by small-scale independent production companies (often emerging from video and music vending enterprises), and are shot in digital format and target mainly the local urban, lower-middle class youth of Addis Ababa.

Unlike in other African contexts the Ethiopian video film industry has adopted a straight to cinema model with many filmmakers and producers often wary of the VCD's vulnerability to piracy. Coinciding with the growth of the video film industry has been the proliferation of private cinema's that attract Addis' lower-middle class who make up the majority of cinema-goers in the country.

The history of cinema quite different from the rest of Africa in many aspects most of African countries literature, theater and cinema is a colonial history which was introduced through colonial imposition, Ethiopia was introduced to cinema through the natural course as other agencies of modernization-railway, postal, modern education, telephone, etc. were popularized in the country. Emperor Minilik II is credited to the introduction of cinema to Ethiopia. (Abebe 2009) Apart from introduction of film technology and screening, Arefayine, in his article points out the most important progressive phase in the history of Ethiopian film. The first film known to be produced in Ethiopia was a short 16mm black-and-white film, produced by a certain Tedla on the occasion of Empress Zewditu's coronation day in 1917.

After Hailesselassie I following the popular revolutionary outburst of February 1974 against the archaic and oppressive feudal monarchy the military dictatorship Derg tried to nationalize or the existing commercial cinema's in to People's Cinema with extreme censorship in place. Ek (2009) briefly explains a first stapes in formulating the Ethiopian film industry was taken over thirty years ago when the country provided the set for the filming of Shaft in Africa in (1973) and the local production Gouma in (1975) by Michel Papatakis.

Until 1974, there were many cinema halls in the country and American and Indian movies have been popular. During the Derg era it is worth to mention that with the nationalization of the Cinema houses, there was a small period that only Russian films having a communist message were allowed to be screened. In that period due to the nationalization of all cinema houses the number of cinema houses, instead of showing progress has gradually decreased. This period in terms of quality and content of production a number of films were produced including a film entitled “Harvest Three Thousand Years

ˮ Which features the bitterness of the life of the peasantry under the feudal system was produced by a renowned film director Haile Gerima in 1976. Since then he directed several other films. He is Ethiopia's most proficient director and exporter, who have made seven films including Sankofa (1993) and perfect Journey (1994).There were also films produced by Ethiopians such as Guma (Vandeta), and Hirut. Following this the film production section established under the ministry of culture and sports affairs, produced another film entitled “3002ˮ

Similarly Chris Prouty mentioned the first Ethiopian movie au de Menilek was made in 1909 by a French man, Charles Martel. Which is a few year earlier than Arefayine, therefore by taking these two references in to consideration it is possible to conclude that film production in Ethiopia was began at a maximum of 10 years after film medium introduced to the country. In November of 1928, Empress Zewditu of Ethiopia crowned Taffari Makonnen as King and Heir to the Throne of Ethiopia.  The Production of film in Ethiopia continued during the Reign of Hailesselassie I with a film in his coronation.

Ethiopian film industry has experienced a robust growth over the past couple of decades. But still the industry faces various kinds of challenges. It consists of many small producers working with a tiny amount of capital; it therefore has not been able to build its own spaces-studios, theaters, office complexes and remain nearly invisible in the Addis Ababa city space, apart from film posters and the films themselves displayed for sale as cassettes or video compact discs. The current growth and development of the industry is shapeless, it is not institutionalized, and it is full of untrained individuals who thought that film making is a profitable business area and a people who have a passion and interest. In addition to this there are no educational institutions who train qualified film makers. Apart from this there are so many studies on different areas of film practices in the west, Australia, China, India, Japan and few African countries like South Africa and Nigeria. Generally, there is the significant absence of research on third world films specially those of Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Film Commission

http://ethiopiafilmcommission.com/

Festivals

Addis International Film Festival - This festival is held annually in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and seeks to provide a platform for both amateur and professional film makers.

Ethiopian International Film Festival - Annually held in Addis Ababa during which many Ethiopian film makers get to showcase their work and awards are handed to the best films as voted by the judges. This festival started in 2005.

Awards

Gumma Film Awards - The most known and prestigious Award in the Ethiopian Film Industry. Held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia annually, this award show started in 2014 and is the first film award show to be broadcast live on TV in Ethiopia.

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Entertainment Careers, Adhere Creative, In Deed, Glass Door, Pay Scale, Merriam-Webster, Job Monkey, Studio Binder, The Collective, Production Hub, The Producer's Business Handbook by John J. Lee Jr., The Culture Trip, Film Museum, academia.edu, Kindeneh Tamene, Mulat, Addisalem. "Ethiopia: Actress Stepping Up the Ladder of Success", The Anglo-Ethiopian Society, http://ethiopiafilmcommission.com/,

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