Wrapping up a Successful Premiere Month
Made in Ethiopia won the Special Jury Mention for A Documentary Feature at Tribeca Festival 2024
In June, Made in Ethiopia had its World Premiere with three sold-out screenings at the prestigious Tribeca Festival. After five years, it was a thrilling experience for our team to gather in New York City and present the film to curious and excited audiences who cared deeply about our story.
We were honored to win the Special Jury Mention for A Documentary Feature at Tribeca. The jury said:
“For its multi-faceted exploration of the personal and collective cost of today’s face of globalization, we award the Special Jury Mention to MADE IN ETHIOPIA. Congratulations to the makers for opening a window to the lived experiences of those most directly impacted by the global labor industrial complex.”
We also had our International Premiere at Sheffield DocFest in Sheffield, United Kingdom as part of its International First Feature Competition, a sold-out Washington DC premiere with DC/DOX at the 240-seater Burke Theater in the United States Navy Memorial, and our African premiere at the Encounters South Africa International Doc Film Festival.
With four amazing festivals, our team had engaging conversations with a wide range of audiences from academics to policymakers, students to entrepreneurs, and both Ethiopian and Chinese diaspora. We’d like to thank Cindy Gao of NüVoices, Bunmi Otegbade and AAJA DC for leading our community outreach and organizing our after-screening events.
Original Score
The score for Made in Ethiopia is a pivotal element in the film’s narrative, weaving Ethiopian instrumentation with a traditional score to bring audiences into contemporary Ethiopia. Our composer, Ali Helnwein, a Los Angeles-based artist, has brought unparalleled understanding and sensitivity to the project.
Listen to the Made in Ethiopia Original Soundtrack on Spotify or Apple Music
Official Poster
Our Dublin-based graphic designer, Andrew Bannister, juxtaposes a modern factory setting and Ethiopian pastoral land with a striking color palette of bold reds and blues in our official poster. Andrew centers Motto’s princess gown as a playful symbol of industrial progress and prosperity.
Press
“Directors Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan take the macro issue of China’s influence in Africa and present it provocatively… A complicated morality tale of ever-changing priorities and loyalties… A compelling narrative about how Chinese influence in Ethiopia impacts both expats and native people. The camera is patient and probing, and the story weaves in political and social context successfully… Should be able to start many conversations about these topical issues.” – Murtada Elfadl, Variety
“[An] absorbing and fascinating documentary… [A] fascinating glimpse into modern-day Ethiopia and into two colliding worlds… An enthralling journey into a little seen part of Africa.” – Mark Adams, Business Doc Europe
"[An] unyieldingly candid and revelatory documentary… Will undoubtedly enlighten viewers and conjure many conversations.” – MJ O’Toole, Hammer to Nail
“[The] fascinating 'Made in Ethiopia' details the domino effect of economic development… [A] captivating doc… Richly captures an entire landscape of a nation in flux.” – Stephen Saito, The Moveable Fest
“An utterly riveting portrait of global economic growth, capturing both its successes and failures.” – Musanna Ahmed, The Upcoming
“A fascinating document of how economic powers manipulate using colonialist playbooks… 'Made in Ethiopia' strikes a cord and features some brilliant cinematography.” – Alan French, Sunshine State Cineplex
“This is a great film. In an age where we are told about Chinese investment in Africa, this film shows us what that entails on some level. We see the good and the bad of it, and of corporate control in general. It's a film that beautifully tells its story, opening our eyes and making us wonder what is going to happen next.” – Steve Kopian, Unseen Films
“Easily one of my [Tribeca] favorites… I thought it did a great job of analyzing China’s influence on Africa as well as the good, the bad and the ugly of development in the 21st century… The documentary does a fantastic job of bringing these larger elements down to earth.” – Hamza Ali, Always Watching
“Truly compelling. ‘Made in Ethiopia’ resonates because of its superb storytelling.” – Greggory Morris, The Word
“An insightful, compelling and sociologically fascinating documentary… [An] excellent film.” – Seth Shire & Wendy Moscow, Unpaid Film Critic
“Thoughtful and nuanced.” – Jorge Espinoza Lasso, La Estatuilla
You can listen to an interview with Xinyan and Max on the China in Africa Podcast, a source of insight into China's engagement across Africa and the Global South hosted by Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.
If you missed us in June, follow our website for updates on upcoming screenings in Europe, Asia and theUS West Coast. Stay tuned!
The Made in Ethiopia Team