Ten-year-old Asalif and his mother have been displaced from their farmland on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by the construction of a condominium. To fight back against those casting him out, Asalif taps into a fantasy of becoming his hero: the lion (“anbessa” in Amharic). Asalif uses his imagination to battle forces beyond his control. He must find the strength that resides in him in order to deal with the tides of change that are usurping a community, a country, and his own identity.
Anbessa Anbessa
Through an intimate coming-of-age story, Anbessa captures one boy taking on modernization on his own terms, revealing a unique and magical perspective on the myth of “progress”.
What's On
The Other Way Around Volveréis
Jonás Trueba
Thursday, 03. 04. 2025 / 16:30 / Main Hall
Is a “good” breakup possible? Spanish director Jonás Trueba’s film is a playful and witty nod to the classic remarriage comedies of the 1930s and 1940s, showing that separation can hold just as much love and hope as a reunion.
No Other Land No Other Land
Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Thursday, 03. 04. 2025 / 17:50 / Small Hall
Palestinian activist Basel Adra has been documenting for years how Israeli occupiers destroy villages in his home region of Masafer Yatta. While fighting to preserve his community, he forms an unexpected alliance with Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham…
Little Trouble Girls Kaj ti je deklica
Urška Djukić
Thursday, 03. 04. 2025 / 19:00 / Main Hall
Urška Djukić’s (Granny’s Sexual Life) debut feature explores the power of girls’ voices to overturn traditional ideas and patriarchal patterns through the eyes of a shy and sensitive 16-year-old girl, Lucija. The opening film of the Perspectives Competition and winner of the FIPRESCI Award for Best First Film at this year’s Berlinale.
