Film is a category or genre of art that has high impact on society. It is an artistic tool used to entertain, enlighten and inform. And what makes it different from other media is that it highly shapes the society. Films or movies have power to influence, to motivate, to guide, to teach, to change perception and to change society’s behavior and other many characteristics and assets.
The first Ethiopian-produced movie was a 90 minute black and white movie .It is entitled Hirut Abatua Mannew? It was produced in 1971. Years later Guuma and Behiwot Zuria were produced respectively and that is how Ethiopian movies and films journey began where now films are produced and premiered in big screens week after week.
Initially, when cinema was introduced to the capital during emperor Minilk II rule, people referred the cinema as Satan’s house due to citizens’ foreignness to modernity. Now in Addis Ababa there are around 20 cinema houses and the film industry is at its peak. Most of Ethiopian films are only market oriented and the contents of the films, in light of Ethiopia’s rich and diverse culture, history and geography, are deficient. In reflecting social and cultural features and in creating Ethiopian taste they are flat.
Amharic movies are always being criticized for not having Ethiopian taste and being unbalanced and for being charged with unrealistic features in reflecting Ethiopia. The flaw of most of our films is that some are just too exaggerated that don’t even reflect how Ethiopians live. They don’t consider reality and some are rich with natural scenes trying to be realistic while others are copied from other foreign films. Though art is primarily meant to show basic challenges and ways of life in the society most of the movies produced and marketed locally are either comedy or romantic comedies, which film goers predict the end in their minds while starting to watch. What is more, most films distort reality, intentionally or otherwise, under representing women. Many of which perpetuate unrealistic, stereotypical, limiting perceptions which portray women as gold diggers, spongers, lairs, materialists, cheaters,weak and so on.
Most Ethiopian films reflect and sustain socially endorsed views of gender depictions of relationships between men and women which emphasize traditional roles and normalize gender inequality. The sad fact is that these films wield negative influences on how children, youths or the next generation view men and women.
Most Ethiopian film makers are self made, who without even going to formal school produce some of the commercially successful movies. There are few experts on film industry and there are very few female experts as directors and producers or script writers.
Nordic Film Festival was held last week at Goethe institute on the theme women empowerment. Five films from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and also Ethiopia which were directed, produced and written by women were screened. The film festival showed the existence of gender equality in Nordic film industry and social life.
The films written, produced and directed by female writers are Golden Globe and Oscar winning successful movies, whose theme explores women quest to harness their potential as well as woman’s role in society.
Aside from the film festival, there was also a panel discussion on how women are portrayed in Ethiopian movies. A paper was presented by Yellow Movement co-founder Blen Sahlu. The Movement was an initiative began by a group of Law School students at Addis Ababa University to speak up for women and girls’ rights.