Factors determining annual trend of documentary film production in the country

• Budgetary constraints
• Red-tape and bureaucracy
• Understanding of film production / trained filmmakers
• Screening opportunities
• Piracy
• Digital technology has made filmmaking more accessible across Africa

According to the Ethiopian Film Producers Association (EFPA) 194 movies were produced in the years 2003-2009 with 75 of them produced in the last year, reflecting an upward trend.

Factors determining film length trends in the country

Film length will depend on subject matter treatment,

budgetary constraints, commissioning briefs, and the skills of the filmmaker.

Producers’ funding methods

• Self-funded
• Community fundraising using Kickstarter, a crowd-funding
• Official sponsorships
• Donations through PayPal
• Hosting events to raise money and promote any accompanying
• Filmmaking grants
• Commissions

Historical average budgets for short, long, and international feature length documentaries in the country

In 2004 the first locally produced feature film, the 105 minute Blue Horse was made on a budget of half a million Birr (roughly 20,000 EUR). It was directed and produced by Serawit Fikrie. MIDROC’s Kabe Plc was one of the film’s sponsors. Half of the budget was covered by another six sponsors:

• Central Medical College
• Awash Bank
• Awash Insurance
• Ararat Hotel
• Adica Car Rental
• MMD Hospital

Most successful producers

Most successful producers in the country have had some exposure in countries with a rich filmmaking traditions and industries. Aida Ashenafi for instance was schooled in the US as was Haile Gerima, and Salem Mekuria. Others, such as Zelalem Woldemariam, have astute business minds.

Local documentary production funding sources

• Self-funded
• Community fundraising using Kickstarter, a crowd-funding
• Official sponsorships
• Donations through PayPal
• Hosting events to raise money and promote any accompanying
• Filmmaking grants
• Commissions

Funding eligibility criteria used by local documentary funding sources

• Evidence of previous work
• Citizenship of Ethiopia

Submission requirements used by local documentary production funding sources for funding consideration

• Proposal applications, production budget
• Presentations, show-reels

Ownership issues in documentary film production

These are faced by filmmakers in common, but depend on the existence of laws recognizing intellectual property.

With the existence of such law, contractual terms will usually address these issues. In Ethiopia, such a law does exist as Copyright law.

Documentary film production ownership issues resolution methods and experiences

Failing contractual provisions or renegotiation, arbitration, or more personal appeals, judicial intervention will be sought.

Revenue allocation issues in documentary film production

These must be negotiated prior to contract. Basically these are about who gets how much, and when?

Documentary film production revenue allocation issues, resolution methods and experiences

Failing contractual provisions or renegotiation, arbitration, or more personal appeals, judicial intervention will be sought.

Agreements between fund sources and producers in documentary film production in the country

Internationally recognised standard contracts can apply with reference to the laws of the land.

Deliverables in documentary film production in the country

These will usually be in DVD formats and DV or HDV formats for broadcast.

Currently, filmmakers in Addis are working with DV format, though some of the production companies that can afford it have HD and HDV.

Reporting requirements during documentary film production in the country

If documentaries are commissioned, the Commissioning agreement will usually spell out any reporting requirements.

Most investors in film are small business people, and as such, they will be needing regular, informal reassurance that their money is being well spent.

Current professional development methods in the country

• Methods include: on-the-job training, online courses and the occasional workshop or seminar. Training institutions for filmmaking are sorely lacking
• There is an acute shortage of qualified filmmaking personnel such as cinematographers and editors in the

A 2006 workshop organised by the Indian High Commission highlighted a number of areas that the nascent Ethiopian film industry needed support in, including:

• In-country training opportunities (directing, cinematography, production design, sound design, editing, screenwriting);
• Understanding the legal, financial, business and logistics of production, including how to prepare a budget and how to make a film pay off; improving access to cinemas and distribution, as they currently get negligible returns from the screenings;
• Marketing, exhibition arrangements, international exposure/festival exposure;
• Funding as grants and/or loans for script development, gear/equipment; productions, distribution, marketing;
• Develop co-production deals with international companies;
• Securing tax breaks and the understanding that film is primarily art, not lucrative business;
• The establishment of a body which provides information and expert knowledge on the industry as well as a monitoring and regulatory body;
• Securing the compound owned by the Film Corporation to benefit the Film Industry;
• Preserve materials of interest to cinematic history, which is currently being destroyed through

Professional development service providers for the filmmaking community in the country

• Ethiopian Film Initiative (EFI) www.ethiopianfilminitiative.org
• Media Service Provider – This Swedish registered NGO supports the development of the Ethiopian film It provides training and assistance with production, marketing and distribution.

• The Ethiopian Film Initiative can also be commissioned to produce Contact: Yemane TsegayeMobile:  +251 911 698 973

Gebbette Entertainment Information Technology Plc is to construct a new film production centre which houses four cinemas, a convention centre and support services for film production. It is the initiative of celebrated filmmaker and scholar, the US-based Professor Haile Gerima along with four colleagues.

Its goal is to attract Ethiopian and other African filmmakers to create films that focus on Africa.

Professional development needs in documentary film production in the country

The development phase of a documentary project is vital to the success of the project. Doing it properly requires skills which need to be acquired and practiced. Since the training most filmmakers in Ethiopia get is on-the-job when the production is underway, the development phase is usually skipped. Hence, there is a great need for training opportunities at this stage.

As digital filmmaking has made cinema accessible to emerging talent, numerous domestic video production companies are increasingly aiming for the big screen to break into the nascent Ethiopian film market. However, while these budding Ethiopian filmmakers rapidly move forward with enthusiasm and passion, they lack both training and financial resources, making cheap films on consumer model video cameras, with post-production hastily accomplished on Avid Xpress or Final Cut Pro. The results are low quality.

The appreciation of the cinematic craft is nowhere less appreciated than in the editing suite, yet this is where top skills can yield spectacular results. Most budding filmmakers perceive camera work only as filmmaking, a notion that urgently requires amendment.

Potential funding partners in the country, Africa

• International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA)
• WorldView
• The IEFTA has partnered with the Ethiopian Film Initiative (www.ethiopianfilminitiative.org).
• WorldView is a CBA (Commonwealth Broadcasting Association) Project that aims to improve UK public understanding and awareness of the developing world via the mainstream broadcast and digital media. WorldView supports producers who aim to bring the richness and diversity of the wider-world to UK audiences.

Film schools in the country

The Blue Nile Film and Television Academy

Documentary film production training programmes in the country

These are held from time to time in the country by media supporting NGOs with the support of the government.

• Sandscribe Communications’ mission is to supply innovative media training and production opportunities and support services to the diverse population in Ethiopia and throughout the Horn of Africa

Film festivals in the country

• Colors of the Nile International film festival
• Addis International Film Festival

Business management schools in the country

• Ethiopian Management Institute
• Addis Ababa College of Commerce

Journalism schools in the country

21 state and private higher education institutions offer formal qualification programmes for aspiring journalists. In many cases, curricula offered at journalism departments are not regarded as adequate for the profession as there is thought to be too much theory and not enough practice.

Among the more prominent institutions are:

• Ethiopian Mass Media Training Institute (Emmti): This is a government-run Its stated objectives are “to train credible and responsible journalists with professional ethics, who can benefit from the benefits of modern science and technology”.
• Addis Ababa University (Aau): Through the Institute of Language Studies (ILS), AAU currently offers a two-semester course in journalism The first part is theory and history, thesecond part is more a survey of different practical aspects of the professional media including: writing news, conducting interviews, designing a newspaper, and editing and practicing public relations.
• Unity College: As the nation’s first and now-largest accredited private college, Unity has been an innovator in a number of Its basic philosophy is, through intensive and task-oriented teaching, to empower a generation of entrepreneurial young people.

Technical schools in the country

• Ethiopian Institute of Technology
• Addis Ababa Institute of Technology
• Mekelle Institute of Technology

Professional and peer mentorship in the filmmaking community and their methods

There are no formal mentorships going on in the country, but during festivals and productions there will emerge various mentoring arrangements among members of the crew.

Categories of relevant tech-related companies in the country and their numbers

• Camera sales companies
• Laser Computer Trading Company
• Computer hardware and software companies
• CNET Software Technologies Plc, Ethio Net, Infra Net Technology Plc, Make Tech Computer Systems Plc

Film sales companies operating in the country and services offered to local documentary filmmakers

There are no film sales companies operating in Ethiopia.

Film distribution companies operating in the country and services offered to local documentary filmmakers

Sebastopol Entertainment plc is a movie theatre and film distribution company that distributes exclusively Ethiopian films in Ethiopia.

Filmmaking community advisory groups in the country

• Ethiopian Film Institute
• Ethiopian Film Producers Association
• Ethiopian Filmmakers Association

Nature of involvement of advisory groups in the professional development of documentary filmmakers

The Ethiopian Film Initiative has been involved in organizing conferences, workshops, and seminars.

Local advocacy groups operating in the country and their issues

In 2010, legislation was passed on civil society organisations (CSOs) that placed tight restrictions on the activities of civil society engaged in political or rights-based work. Many closed, and others had to move their focus away from political advocacy. The Charities and Societies Proclamation 2009 legislation restricts foreign funding for civil society organisations active in the advancement of human and democratic rights to 10% of their total funding. Since the culture of grassroots level participation in the country is quite underdeveloped, this has made fundraising very difficult. This means that activities of civil society groups, particularly in areas of advocacy, have been greatly reduced.

The Forum for Social Studies (FSS) is a non- governmental, non-profit policy think tank registered as an ‘Ethiopian Residents Charity’ under Ethiopian law. It is dedicated to the cause of independent research and provides a forum for informed public debate of development issues and policy initiatives.

Interafrica Group (IAG): An indigenous NGO tackling civil society issues for more than 30 years.

Nature of involvement of advocacy groups in the professional development of documentary filmmakers

Advocacy groups will want to craft some communications in order to raise awareness on a certain issue, so they will need the services of qualified filmmakers.

Documentary and news archives in the country

A considerable amount of raw footage from the Mengistu era is scattered in the basements of government buildings, as most ministries were provided with 16 mm cameras to make films for propaganda purposes. The footage needs to be preserved, and restored as part of Ethiopian national film and audiovisual archives.

Existing forms of documentary film distribution in the country

• TV broadcast including free to air satellite TV
• Theatrical cinema
• Informal video houses
• DVD
• Internet distribution
• Airlines

Distribution options taken by local documentary filmmakers

• Theatrical cinema distribution: there are four theatres and four cinema houses in Addis, including the only private cinema, Alem Cinema, built by track-star athlete Haile G. Sellasie on Africa Avenue (Bole Road).
• Aida Ashenafi’s documentary Guzo was the first Ethiopian movie to be shown on Ethiopian Airlines

Educational film distributors operating in the country and their capacities

UNESCO

Non-profit film distributors operating in the country and their capacities

Women Make Movies, a nonprofit organisation that distributes independent films made by and about women. This US organisation has distributed at least one Ethiopian’s film – Salem Mekuria’s, but she is not a resident of Ethiopia.

Benefits local documentary filmmakers get from educational and non-profit distributors operating in the country

They may receive promotional benefits.

Laws and regulations governing the distribution of documentary films in the country

• Copyright laws are in force, but they are
• The 1995 Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia guarantees freedom of expression under article
• While the constitution guarantees the freedom of expression and the media in principle, it also contains a number of possible limitations in its article 29 (6).
• Legal limitations can be laid down in order to protect the well-being of youth, and the honour and reputation of individuals. Any propaganda for war as well as the public expression of opinion intended to injure human dignity shall be prohibited by law.

Laws and regulations governing audience-building for documentary films in the country

Media Laws

Experiences of documentary filmmakers with legal framework governing distribution of and audience- building for local documentaries

At various industry workshops organised by the Ethiopia Film Initiative the common refrain was for the importance of the cinema industry to be able to speak with one voice. This means that there has been some frustration getting the government to follow through on its commitments.

Audience-cultivation strategies used in the country

• Radio campaigns
• Printed media campaigns
• Word of mouth
• Museums and galleries, and festivals are great ways to showcase and promote a filmmaker’s

Revenue generation strategies for local documentary films in each distribution channel in the country

• Theatrical box-office receipts
• DVD sales
• Documentaries aren’t popular in Ethiopian Aida Shenafi’s Guzo cost 45,000 Br to produce and lost money each of the eight times it played at the 1,500 seat Ambassador Theatre attracting only 200-300 film-goers at each showing.

African civil society groups in the country

• Inter Africa Group
• Forum for Social Studies

Potential ADFF partners in other activist groups in the country

The Ethiopian Film Initiative

Issues concerning distribution rights in each distribution channel and their resolution

• Media Laws are in
• Commercial law governs all forms of business

Securing and administration of distribution rights in the country

• Copyright and Media Laws are in
• Commercial law governs all forms of business

Prevalence of copyright piracy of film in general and documentary works in particular in the country

Piracy is a problem. Informal video houses in particular, are outlets for the Hollywood action movie bootleg.Although documentary films aren’t as popular amongst the youth, audience building efforts may come to naught should the tide turn without having put a mechanism in place to prevent piracy of hot documentary properties.

Measures in place to deal with copyright piracy in the country

In Ethiopia, lowering the price for local content is a strategy that was tried in the music industry to try and stem piracy. For movies, copyright laws are in force, but sensitization of the society will always be crucial to make the legislation work, creating a sense of ownership and responsibility among the people. The film industry inevitably produces individuals who become famous and well respected by a society. These stars of the industry can be used to appeal to society to denounce the behavior that allows piracy to flourish.

Internet penetration in the country

• 5% Internet penetration
• Internet users 447,300 (2009)
• Population 90,873,739 ( July 2011 )

Potential subscribers for an online local documentary library and/or Internet channel for locally produced documentaries

At a 5% subscriber base of the 1 million or so Ethiopians in the Diaspora and the four hundred thousand in the country, potential subscribers stand at 700,000.

Internet usage by local documentary filmmakers

Some filmmakers put their work on internet video hosting sites such as YouTube or Vimeo for promotional purposes. While the Internet distribution platform is proliferating, no local site is making use of this medium on a commercial basis.

Political sensitivities

• Conflict with Eritrea
• The questions surrounding electoral conflict
• Social inequality
• Contentious provisions of anti-terror law

Modes of communication between local documentary filmmakers and funding sources

• All modes of communication exist including fixed

telephone, mobile telephone, Internet, normal post, courier.

• Internet telephony, however, is

Channels of communications that allow private exchange of information in the country

Face-to-face communications are always best

Infor sources used by local documentary filmmakers on various aspects of documentary production in the country

There is a very informal ad hoc way of obtaining information. The Ethiopian film initiative has developed a very good website that it continues to update and maintain, bringing together all kinds of industry information.

Kinds of information that local documentary filmmakers would benefit from being in a directory or guidebook

Information about training and mentorship opportunities would be particularly useful.