When a massive Chinese industrial park lands in rural Ethiopia, a dusty farming town finds itself at the new frontier of globalization. The sprawling factory complex’s formidable Chinese director Motto now needs every bit of mettle and charm she can muster to push through a high-stakes expansion that promises 30,000 new jobs. Ethiopian farmer Workinesh and factory worker Beti have staked their futures on the prosperity the park promises. But as initial hope meets painful realities, they find themselves, like their country, at a pivotal crossroads.
Filmed over four years with singular access, ‘Made in Ethiopia’ lifts the curtain on China’s historic but little-understood impact on Africa, and explores contemporary Ethiopia at a moment of profound crisis. The film throws audiences into two colliding worlds: an industrial juggernaut fuelled by profit and progress, and a vanishing countryside where life is still measured by the cycle of the seasons. And its nuance, complexity and multi-perspective approach go beyond black and white narratives of victims and villains. As the three women’s stories unfold, ‘Made in Ethiopia’ challenges us to rethink the relationship between tradition and modernity, growth and welfare, the development of a country and the well-being of its people.
The FCCT is delighted to be able to show this remarkable film, and to host the two people behind it, Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan. Xinyan Yu is an Emmy-winning journalist and filmmaker whose work centres on people often overlooked in the sweep of history and progress. She has directed and produced films for BBC News, PBS Frontline, PBS Nova, NHK, and Channel News Asia. Max Duncan is an award-winning filmmaker, cinematographer and journalist whose work has appeared on platforms including the BBC, PBS, The Guardian, The New York Times and Al Jazeera, and at dozens of international film festivals.
The programme will be moderated by BBC South East Asia Correspondent Jonathan Head.
Members who wish to book in advance should email info@fccthai.com or call the FCCT office on 02-652-0580.
Non-members can use this link.
