UK Premiere: Anbessa At Barbican

The biggest condominium complex in East Africa, on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, promises thousands of people a better way of life. It’s being constructed, however, on the farmland of 10-year-old Asalif and his mother, leaving them just a tool shed with no electricity or running water.

Anbessa is a lyrical documentary that takes us on a journey of childhood adventuring and magical realism as we accompany a creative, sensitive and bold young boy using his imagination and sharp wits to battle forces beyond his control, and escape the stark reality of displacement. Meanwhile, the city is growing around them and new property developers are knocking at their door.   

Official Selection, Berlinale International Film Festival 2019, Nominee Crystal Bear, Generation Kplus - Best Film