MADE IN ETHIOPIA
MON, 12/9, 3:00pm, 90 min
BAY STREET THEATER
Director Xinyan Yu via Zoom for Q&A with Andrew Botsford
Directors: Xinyan Yu, Max Duncan
Producer: Tamara Dawit
Editors: Biel Andrés, Jeppe Bødskov, Siyi Chen
In the heart of Ethiopia, the arrival of a sprawling industrial park finds a dusty farming town at the new frontier of globalization. Motto, a formidable Chinese businesswoman overseeing her factory’s expansion, finds she needs every bit of mettle and charm she has to push through their ambitious plans, which promise 30,000 new jobs. Some would call her approach ruthless. Meanwhile, Ethiopian farmer Workinesh and factory worker Beti have staked their future on the opportunities the park promises. But as initial hope meets painful realities, they find themselves, like their country, at a pivotal crossroads.
Max Duncan is a filmmaker, director of photography, and journalist. His award-winning documentary and reportage has appeared on the BBC, PBS VICE, The Guardian, The New York Times and Al Jazeera. He lived and worked in China for a decade. Xinyan Yu is an award-winning video journalist and filmmaker based in Washington, DC. She was born and raised in Wuhan, China.