People’s View of European Films

On May 7, 2007, as a part of the European film festival, the National Theatre screened a Norwegian feature film, ‘Buddy’. It is a story of a 24 -year’s old happy-go-lucky young man, Kristoffer who earns his living working as a billboard hanger. When his girlfriend, Elisabeth abandons him for her boss leaving Kristoffer to pick up the pieces.
He feels like a loser. By accident, some of Kristoffer’s video diaries end up with the producer of the popular talk show “Karsten Tonight” in TV2. A few weeks later, to his amazement his and his fanatical best friend, Geir life becomes a TV star. People love the sequences from their commune and people start recognizing them in the streets. They were no longer invisible and Kristoff regained his lost love.

Kristoffer’s half-twisted view of his surroundings, and another of his friend, the weird web designer Stig Inge, who hasn’t set foot outside the shopping centre for two years add to their TV appeal.
Kristoffer’s future again looks bright, everyone likes him. But revealing one’s life on national television comes with a price tag. As Kristoffer’s future in the TV business looks brighter and brighter, his friends start suffering. Geir’s big secret is revealed, and Stig Inge’s personal problems are much more serious than Kristoffer first thought. It will cost him a great deal to win his friends back. Kristoffer knows what he wants, but does he have enough guts to follow his heart?

The film is a far cry from a quirky American teen film. Not needles action and a fast pace movement. The audience, Ethiopians and expatriates enjoyed every moment of it with the films honest portrayal of wide eyed and bushy tailed Norwegian youth.
The European Film Festival is a popular annual film occasion hailed by officials as an occasion for cementing relations between Europe and Africa, but the majority of Ethiopian filmgoers watch American and Indian films most of the years. Especially, Hollywood movies have excelled at entertaining and throughout the years it has developed a detailed dramaturgical structure which, by and large, is successful in its story telling.

European films are considered here as more artistic than their American counterparts and even as a high-brow film with intellectual pretensions, though they are not accessible in video shops. But the cultural centers of the major European nations such as France, Italy, British and Germany present their respective countries films for the Ethiopian audience. For instance, the Alliance Ethio-Française says it has more than 1,000 VHS and 500 DVDs available to its library members.

Within a broad definition, European film and American film appear to be world a part. Most European films are labeled as art films and only reach limited audience. Even in Europe, Hollywood dominates the cinema scene. More than 750 films were made in Europe last year, more than in the USA-supported by fat subsidies provided with the intention of protecting European cultural asset. The problem is that even here in their home region hardly anyone has seen these films. Out of the billion cinema goers 70 % preferred US American movies, 20 % saw films made by their respective nations, only 10 % watched films from other countries.

Some people that we have approached say that European films contain a message of reflection on society and hardships and feelings and emotions are recorded.
Addis, a young actor who graduated of Addis Ababa University Theatrical Department whom we have met at the National Theater says he enjoys watching European films and he could relate to them more than he does to Hollywood films. He says he finds European films more intellectually stimulated and artistically driven. And he said it is bad that they are not as much accessible in the city.

Another young Ethiopian actor who watches European films says he enjoys European films as they are less sensational than the American ones and helps him to see characters like those in European literature-characters who struggled against the odds. He says there are technically few successful Ethiopian films and the reason is partly due to inadequate editing facilities and exposure to technological advancement seen in European and other countries. He hopes to see Ethiopian films portraying realities of Ethiopian life by emulating their European counter parts.

Tewdros Teshome, a well-known film director known told SSI that he feels European films have great characters, great visions, and great emotions and require deep thinking. He admits for those who are used to American films could find them a little absurd but the shot and everything in European films are on purpose and intoned could teach a lot young film directors.
Tewdros who has produced the movie ‘Red Mistake’ through the cooperation of Belgian cameraman and editor has also organized the Ethio-Belgum film festival with the Belgium embassy some months before. He says the fact that European films are coming here help for cultural exchange and Ethiopian film directors could learn a lot from them.
But not everybody shares this view.

Tedla Haile, a young cinematography student, says he just doesn’t stand European films as he can’t find enough action and comedy. He says he watches films for a few hours of entertainment and it is only the US films that entertain their audience.
An Addis resident from American says he prefers European films as they are more character driven, less dependent on needless action and they don’t play with cheap emotion, rather they encourage you to think more deeply.

Rahel Argaw, a documentary film maker, also says in order for the Ethiopian film industry to flourish it could learn a lot from European films but principally it has to be commercially viable, and that prospect seems distant despite abundant talent on the continent. We need to enact and enforce copyright laws to protect the intellectual rights of filmmakers, improve distribution of Ethiopia films and remove high taxes that overburden the film industry. She says films from Germany and Belgium are in good shape as demonstrated in this European film Festival.Rahel also maintains that as they do in Europe the Ethiopian government should invest in local film making to encourage more local productions.

May 12, 2007