13 Months of Sunshine

13 Months of Sunshine is directed and written by Yehdego Abeselom. It is a drama about two Ethiopians who enter a marriage of convenience and struggle to maintain traditional values as they strive toward their dreams.

It depicts a young Ethiopian man marries an Ethiopian woman so she can get her green card. In return for the money his family promises to pay, he hopes to fulfill his dream of opening a coffee shop. During the thirteen months they wait for her green card, they discover there are more important things in life than green cards and coffee shops. The American Dream just got a little more complex.

The cast includes Sammy Amare, Tsion Fikreselassie, Salem Dawit, Aaron Arefe and Delaine Knight.

Released in 2007

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Synposis:

13 Months of Sunshine is the story of an Ethiopian man, Solomon (Sammy Amare) who marries Hanna (Tsion Fikreselassie) so she can get a green card and become a citizen of the United States. In exchange, her family pays him $20,000, enough to open up his own dream business--an authentic Ethiopian coffee house. During the year-long naturalization process, they must learn to live with each other, finding that the marriage of convenience becomes complicated through love, jealousy, and the clash of cultural values each must face in following their dreams.

Solomon has integrated into American society, but he does not have the drive or money to achieve what he really wants in life. When the opportunity arises for him to get some money, he jumps at the chance, but must face his traditionalist parents, who are concerned that his illegal marriage might land him in jail. Hanna is a beautiful Ethiopian girl who is quickly drawn into the world of fashion. Meeting Morris Benton (Delaine Knight), a fashion agent specializing in Ethiopian models, Hanna learns that the world of modeling forces her to question her traditional values in the face of pressure to conform to American standards.

The call of coffee, of fashion, and the unspoken desires of each character all collide in a colorful, comedic,d heartwarming tale that speaks both to the immigrant spirit and to the American dream. As Solomon and Hanna draw closer together they discover that life is filled with things that complicate and confuse them, and they must decide what is important.