World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award: Difret /Ethiopia
(Director and screenwriter: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari) — Meaza Ashenafi is a young lawyer who operates under the government’s radar helping women and children until one young girl’s legal case exposes everything, threatening not only her career but her survival. Cast: Meron Getnet, Tizita Hagere. World Premiere
Executive Producer Angelina Jolie gets a shout out at the podium; she boarded the pic earlier this month.
The actress and director of the upcoming Unbroken is now on board as one of the EPs of the Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Competition film Difret. The announcement that Angelina Jolie has joined the Ethiopian pic comes just days before its January 18 world premiere in Park City.
The Oscar-winning actress also will be taking a presentation credit on the film. From first-time feature director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, Difret tells the tale of a girl and a female lawyer who take on the Ethiopian tradition of “telefa”, or marriage by abduction. “This film is a strong moment for art in Ethiopia”, said Jolie in a statement today. “It is inspiring to see such an important story so beautifully illustrated with such creative talent.
It draws out the richness of Ethiopian culture and shows how important legal advances can be made while respecting local culture. It is a story that gives hope for Ethiopia’s future, and for other countries where countless girls grow up without the protection of laws that shield them and their bodies, and shows how the courage of brave individuals can awaken the conscience of a society.”
Source: Sundance Film Festival 2014
