Anbessa
A boy fights back against modernization by becoming a lion (anbessa).
Asalif and his mother defy Ethiopia’s omnipresent modern housing development culture, by continuing to live a life characterised by proximity to nature and rootedness in community.The boy counters the ruptures in his accustomed surroundings and the threat posed by the hyena that haunts his neighbourhood by reinventing himself as a hero: as Anbessa, the lion.
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
Asalif and his mother defy Ethiopia’s omnipresent modern housing development culture, by continuing to live a life characterised by proximity to nature and rootedness in community. The boy counters the ruptures in his accustomed surroundings and the threat posed by the hyena that haunts his neighbourhood by reinventing himself as a hero: as Anbessa, the lion.
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The numbers
Box Office & Release
- Budget
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- Opening weekend
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- Domestic gross
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- International gross
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- Worldwide gross
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- Release date
- Feb 11, 2019
- Runtime
- 1h 26m
- MPAA rating
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- Language
- Amharic
- Country
- Ethiopia, Italy
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.