Action. Romance. Historical facts. Humor. “Teza” has it all. Ethiopian-born filmmaker Haile Gerima spent 15 years preparing “Teza,” which is narrated in Amharic with subtitles in German and English.The film, which received widespread acclaim internationally, is available on DVD.
The story is told through the eyes of a man named Anberber, played by Aaron Arefe. Anberber is a passionate young man who grew up in Ethiopia, but left to study medicine in Germany during the regime of Ethiopian dictator Haile Mariam Mengistu.
While in Germany, Anberber grows as an intellectual, finds and loses love, and builds life-long friendships. Yet, in the end, he remains loyal to his country and returns to his homeland in hope of curing the sick and making a difference in Ethiopia.
“I try to marry cinema with my culture,” explained Gerima, who has made 11 films including “Sankofa,” also the name of the Howard University professor’s film, video and bookstore café in the heart of Washington, D.C., on Georgia Avenue.
“Teza,” which has breathtaking scenes of Ethiopia, has won numerous awards. At the 65th Venice Film Festival, “Teza” was awarded the Special Jury Prize and the OSELLA for best screenplay. It also won the 2008 Cinema for UNICEF Award.
At the 2008 Arab-African film festival of Carthage, Tunisia, the film swept away five awards, including the Tanit d’Or for the best film. It was also awarded the Golden Unicorn for the best feature film at the Amiens International Film Festival in France and won prizes at the 2008 Dubai International Film Festival and 2009 Rotterdam International Film Festival.
“Teza” was first out of 128 films at the 21st Pan-African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.—Jasmine Norwood