Teza

Haile Gerima is one of Ethiopia’s most recognised directors, and with his award-winning Teza he definitely proves his worth. Teza is a film that dares to challenge us as viewers, with a formal language that masterfully mirrors the mood of its protagonist.
Aaron Arefayne magnificently makes his character Anberber come alive and it is impossible not to be carried away by his experiences. Teza is told through a series of overlapping time periods, where we follow Anaber on his return to a country he left behind a long time ago. He has spent several years in Germany studying medicine. He returns to Ethiopia with professional optimism and political naiveté, but is met by a country marked by many years of dictatorship. Will he be able to find back to the long lost world of his childhood innocence? How will he adapt to a country which is no longer like the one he remembers?
The film revisits periods of Anberber’s years in Germany, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall – a time reminicent of more than glasnost. We also learn about a troubled Ethiopia that has to deal with present and past ghosts. Through Anberber’ eyes we are invited on a bold cultural and geographical journey. akek