Close-Up: Teza Press Kit

Teza

A Film by Haile Gerima

Cast

• Anberber   Aaron Arefe

• Tesfaye   Abeye Tedla

• Tadfe   Takelech Beyene

• Azanu   Teje Tesfahun

• Ayalew   Nebiyu Baye

• Young Anberber   Mengistu Zelalem

• Abdul   Wuhib Bayu

• Minister   Zenahbezu Tsega

• Cadre Leader   Asrate Abreha

• Cassandra   Araba Evelyn Johnston-Arthur

• Gabi   Veronika Avraham

• Produced by   Haile Gerima
  Karl Baumgartner

• Co-Producers   Marie-Michele Cattelain
  Philippe Avril

• Associate Producers   Joachim von Mengershausen
  Salome Gerima

• Commissioning Editors   Wolf-Dietrich Brucker
  Gebhard Henke, WDR/ARTE

Crew

• Cinematographer   Mario Masini

• Editing   Haile Gerima
  Loren Hankin

• Music   Vijay Iyer
  Jorga Mesfin

• Sound Editor   Martin Langenbach

• Line Producer   Pedro Pimenta

• Art Direction   Patrick Dechesne
  Alain-Pascal Housiaux
  Seyum Ayana

• Costume Design   Wassine Hailu

• Make-Up Designers   Francoise Dael
  Daniel Schroder

• Sound on Location   Umbe Adam

• Re-Recording Mixer   Stephan Konken

Teza was produced by Negod Gwad Productions in coproduction with Pandora Films, Westdeutscher Rundfunk/Arte [Germany], and Unlimited [France] and is being distributed by Mypheduh Films.

Additional financial support for Teza was provided by the European Commission.

35mm—Color—Dolby SRD 0 1:18:85—140 minutes.

Summary

Haile Gerima's eleventh cinematic production and seventh dramatic film, Teza ('morning dew' in Amharic), is set in Germany and Ethiopia and examines the displacement of African intellectuals, both at home and abroad, through the story of a young, idealistic Ethiopian doctor—Anberber. The film chronicles Anberber's internal struggle to stay true, both to himself and to his homeland, but above all, Teza explores the possession of memory— a right humanity mandates that each of us have—the right to own our pasts.

After studying medicine abroad in Germany for several years, Anberber returns home to Ethiopia only to find his beloved Ethiopia, and soon the quiet of his dreams, stifled and disarrayed by the country's political turmoil.

The film reflects well on the effects of the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie on Ethiopia's history and society, and through a broader lens, Teza focuses on the ways in which political upheaval and social change have impacted cultures and nations across the larger African Diaspora and the world. Due to the discourse on critical issues it engenders and its exquisite visual tableau, Teza is an unparalleled work of social activism and cinematic art.

Seeking escape from the center of violence, Anberber turns to the solace of his countryside childhood home, but quickly realizes that there is no shelter there. The competing forces of the military and opposition factions usurp the comfort he thought the memories of his youth would evoke. Anberber must determine if he can bear the strain of his reality and piece together a life from the fragments of a complete existence that lie around him.

Teza documents Anberber's recognition of his own displacement and powerlessness in the face of the dissolution of Ethiopian humanity and social values.

About the Production

Teza was conceived by Haile Gerima and represents the filmmaker's efforts to come to terms with his experience in the United States as a displaced African intellectual of a particular generation. Due to the means by which the project was financed, the script was repurposed to be set in both Germany and Ethiopia. Aside from the Ethiopian cultural specificity, Teza has shown that it has resonance with a generation of African peoples who, because they have been displaced internationally and intellectually, harbor pockets of un-exorcised pain for which reconciliation is sought after and needed.

Selected Awards

FESPACO Pan-African Film Festival (Burkina Faso)
Golden Stallion of Yennenga for Best Picture
UN-World Bank Special Prize
Zain Prize for Originality, Technical Quality, and Performance

Rotterdam Film Festival (The Netherlands)
Dioraphite Award
Hubert Bals Award

Venice Film Festival (Italy)
Special Jury Prize
Osella Award for Best Screenplay
SIGNIS Award
Cinema for UNICEF Commendation
Leoncino d'oro Award

Carthage Film Festival (Tunisia)
Golden Tanit
Best Screenplay
Best Music
Best Cinematography
Best Male Supporting Role

Amiens International Film Festival (France)
Golden Unicorn for Best Feature Film

CinemAfrican (Sweden)
Festival Prize

CinemAvvenire (Rome, Italy)
Cinema for Peace and the Richness of Diversity

Dubai International Film Festival (United Arab Emirates)
Best Composer

Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Greece)
Human Values Award

Haile Gerima...