Ethiopian Films News

Ethiopian Filmmaker Zelalem Woldemariam wins at the Tarifa African film festival

Zelalem Woldemariam, Producer/Director, is selected as winner of “Best Short film Youth Jury Award and claimed a trophy and 2000 Euros.

Tarifa, Spain May 29, 2010– Lezare a short film produced and directed by Zelalem Woldemariam, has been selected as a winner of the best short film youth Jury award.

“Lezare” was chosen from a pool of nominees worldwide by an international jury of experts. The TARIFA competition was very competitive this year, 15 films from over ten countries on the African continent were competing in the Short Film category..

The competition took place from May 21-29 in Spain. Here the list of Awards and the winners of this year’s awards:

1. Best Female Actress, IMANI from Uganda, directed by Caroline Kamya
2. Best Actor, FROM A WHISPER from Kenya, directed by Wanari Kahiu
3. Best Director, IMANI from Uganda, directed by Caroline Kamya
4. Best Short Film Young Jury Award, LEZARE, directed by Zelalem Woldemariam
5. Best Short Film RTVA Award, LE ICHA from Tunisia, directed by Walid Taya
6. Best Documentary Film, LES LARMES DE L'EMIGRATION from Senegal, by Alassane Diago
7. Prize of the Audience, ATLETU from Ethiopia, by Rasselas Lakew-D.Frankel, and EHKI YA SHAHRAZADE from Egypt, by Yousry Narsrallahr
8. Best Full Length Movie, Teza from Ethiopia, by H. Gerima

“Lezare” is a revealing and touching story about a homeless boy in a small village in Southern Ethiopia. A powerful message and beautifully shot film about global warming, shortsightedness, and the danger posed for the future generation when we think for today. “Lezare” is a short feature film that was produced in May 2010. This short film has a running time of 14 minutes and was shot in full HD format. The music scoring is done by the Debo Band located in Boston, MA. The music was mixed with traditional Ethiopian instruments and usual western orchestra sound found in many films. This short film was shot in Hawassa and was produced by Zeleman Production in association with Access Entertainment.

During the screenings of Lezare at the festival the audience cheered and expressed their feelings of appreciation for the film. “Lezare” world premiered in this festival, however, it will be premiered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the inauguration of “Images that Matter Short film Festival “on June 14. 2010. Zelalem was also part of a jury on the photo competition that took place in this festival. For more information on the festival check this website: www.fcat.es For more information about the production company: www.zelemanproduction.com