NEBSEY

Nebsei, meaning ‘my body’ in Tigrigna, is a short film revealing the story of women who faced sexual and gender based violence during the Tigray War in Ethiopia. The film responds to research surrounding the themes of gender-based violence during the ‘Tigray War’, its psychological effects on society, and hopes of reconciliation, justice and healing.Many reports and interviews from the survivors inform the idea and narration of the film. As a coproduction between the artist Gabrielle Tesfaye and researcher Mitiku Gabrehiwot, it aims to inform and contribute to the healing of societies and those affected by the ‘Tigray War’.

This film is part of the Ethnographies of Parliaments, Politicians and People (EoPPP) and responds to ‘relationships and ruptures’ as themes in emerging democracies, sponsored by SOAS University of London. Nebsei (2023) will be screening at the Living Democracy exhibition, Brunei Gallery at SOAS London University from the 12th of January to the 16th of March 2024.

Currently awaiting festival screenings, screener available upon request. tesfayetra@gmail.com

FOR TIGRAY

Docu-fiction | Qatar/Ethiopia | Digital 2D Animation | 2021 | 4 min

On November 4th, 2020, unelected Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed declared a genocidal war on Tigray, the northernmost regional state of Ethiopia. His administration has limited and blocked access to electricity, aid, food, and water for millions of Tigrayan civilians. Through a conflict so saturated in political debates, For Tigray looks through the lenses of the people. From life before the war, and the collective future on the horizon.

#TigrayGenocide #StopWarOnTigray

Visit Tigray Directory tab for resources on how to take action now in ending Tigray Genocide.

Official Selections
2023 Beirut International Women Film Festival, Beirut, Lebanon
2022 Portland Film Festival, Portland, OH, USA
2022 Silicon Valley African Film Festival, San Jose, CA, USA
2022 Brooklyn Film Festival, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2022 Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, Brooklyn, NY, USA

Awards
2022 Baltimore International Black Film Festival

Frewayni falls in love. Based in Ethiopia, the relationship takes her on a journey of discovering new love, and becoming closer with her own culture. After a painful breakup revealing secrets, she too discovers a hidden truth within herself.

ETHIOPIA YENE FIKIR (MY LOVE ETHIOPIA)

Docu-fiction | USA/Ethiopia | Hybird, Stop Motion Animation, Digital 2D Animation | 2019 | 15 min

Set during the time of the Red Terror war in 1970’s in Ethiopia, the country’s political tyranny has created huge population of refugees searching for an escape. Based on a true story, Yene Fikir, Ethiopia, meaning ‘My Love, Ethiopia’, follows the turbulent and mystical journey of a young girl searching for freedom after being separated from her family. As she embarks on a painful migration through the scorching desert, magical guardian angels are sent to aid her by a mysterious and ancient Goddess in the skies, holding the secret to heal her homeland. With the presence of her angels, and the power of her magical krar, she discovers hidden powers within herself she was unaware of before.

Official Selections

2023 Trento Film Festival, Italy
2021 Demetera International Film Festival, Paris, France
2020 Leeds International Film Festival, UK
2020 New Orleans Film Festival, New Orleans, LA, USA
2020 Film Africa, London, UK
2020 DC Black Film Festival, Washington DC, USA
2020 BlackStar Film Festival, Philadelphia, PA USA

Awards
2021 Center for Black Diaspora Short Film Festival, Chicago, IL, USA

THE WATER WILL CARRY US HOME

Fiction | USA | Hybird, Stop Motion Animation | 2018 | 7 min

Through living ritual and stop motion animation, The Water Will Carry Us Home reveals the story of stolen Africans being thrown off the slave ship whilst sailing through the Middle Passage. Upon crashing in the waves, a phenomena happens when the presence of Yoruba Orishas dwelling in the water saves these spirits.

Awards
2018 Milwaukee Film Festival College Filmmaker Award
2019 Best Audience Animation Award, Urban Media Makers Film Festival
2019 Best Experimental Film, Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, Brooklyn, NY, USA

Official Selections

2021 Spellbound Witch Institute, Toronto, Canada
2021 Woodstock Film Festival
2021 Asian American International Film Festival
2021 LA Asian Pacific Film Festival
2019 CinemAfrica, Stockholm, Sweden
2019 Artists Without a Cause, Berlin, Germany
2019 Newark International Film Festival, Newark, NJ, USA
2019 Blackstar Film Festival, Philadelphia, PA, USA
2019 The Heritage Film Festival, Bethesda, MD, USA
2019 Baltimore International Black Film Fesitval, Baltimore, MA, USA
2019 Urban Mediamakers Film Festival, Lilburn, GA USA
2019 CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, Toronto, ON, Canada
2019 Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival, Glasgow, UK
2019 Zanzibar International Film Festival, Zanzibar, Tanzania
2019 Arthouse Asia, Kolkata, India
2019 Milwaukee Film Festival, Milwaukee, WI, USA
2021 San Diego Asian Film Festival
2018 Beloit International Film Festival, Beloit, WI, USA
2018 Women Of The Lens Film Festival, London, UK
2018 Lake International Film Festival, Nairobi Kenya
2021 Candaces Film, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
2021 Alliance Ethio-Françias, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Films not in festival circuit

TIGRAY T’WET

USA/Ethiopia | Archival footage, Digital 2D Animation | 2021 | 5 min

THE MASKED LOVER

Fiction | Indonesia/Ethiopia | Digital 2D Animation | 2023 | 9 min

WHEN THE SUN AND THE MOON FELL IN LOVE

Fiction | USA | Hybird, Stop Motion Animation | 2016 | 2 min

In this stop motion puppet animation, a creation story of day and night is revealed through the undying and complex relationship between the Sun and the Moon. Love and loss is expressed in a touching cosmic love story, outlining metaphors of shared personal narratives.