Because of Covid-19, the 2021 Addis International Film Festival (AIFF) was held in venues with strictly limited seats. This year the situation seems to have relaxed for the AIFF 2022. Hosted by Initiative Africa the opening ceremony will take place on May 25th at the Italian Cultural Institute at 5pm. To kick things off for the 2022 Festival, the Opening Night Film will be the World Premiere of “Among Us Women” directed by Sara Noa Bozenhardt. For the grand finale of five exciting days of screenings, the Closing Night Headliner will be “The Ins and Outs” directed by Yoannes Feleke on May 29th 2022.
The AIFF is an annual regional festival of films from around the world. Founded in 2007 by Kebour Ghenna, the festival initially screened ten films over 6 days at the then Addis Ababa Exhibition Center. The festival took place in various venues, but the regular venues remained Alliance Ethio Française, Hager Fiker Theater and Italian Cultural Institute. This year these same three venues are retained.
Throughout its history, a myriad of celebrities – actors, producers, screenwriters, and directors – have been guests at the AIFF. This year the Festival hosts Daniel Kotter, Sara Noa Bozenhardt and Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen from Germen and Norway.
Lucy, the 2022 AIFF Coordinator, explained that the screenings of these film makers will be accompanied by a Q&A. She said “we are happy that our guests will help us and our audience understanding and discussing the issues.”
This event is directed towards young political students and professionals from Addis Ababa. Lucy indicated that “IA strongly believes in the power and impact of future generations across the country wanting to make a difference!” We hope, she said the festival will also create a platform for people in Addis Ababa to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss the various issues related to Human Rights work.