Ten-year-old Asalif and his mother have been displaced from their farmland on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by the construction of a condominium. To fight back against those casting him out, Asalif taps into a fantasy of becoming his hero: the lion (“anbessa” in Amharic). Asalif uses his imagination to battle forces beyond his control. He must find the strength that resides in him in order to deal with the tides of change that are usurping a community, a country, and his own identity.
Anbessa Anbessa
Through an intimate coming-of-age story, Anbessa captures one boy taking on modernization on his own terms, revealing a unique and magical perspective on the myth of “progress”.
What's On
LIFFe
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Kings & Queens
Two Prosecutors Dva prokurora
Sergej Loznica
Monday, 17. 11. 2025 / 11:00 / Main Hall
In the age of the great Stalinist purges, an idealistic prosecutor takes the plunge into the corridors of a totalitarian regime, seeking justice for a prisoner.
LIFFe
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Perspectives
The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) El Diablo Fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja)
Ernesto Martínez Bucio
Monday, 17. 11. 2025 / 15:00 / Main Hall
Set in a family home in the Mexican suburbs, this psychological drama paints an eerie portrait of everyday life, navigating a terrain between realism and a child’s imagination. A home-alone story laced with tales of the devil and the gradual collapse of reality cued by the parents’ disappearance.
LIFFe
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Panorama
Two Seasons, Two Strangers Tabi to Hibi
Sho Miyake
Monday, 17. 11. 2025 / 17:30 / Main Hall
Shô Miyake’s contemplative feature probes the deeper impact of a chance encounter between two young loners. Spanning two seasons, the miniature spills out from a writer’s imagination into her real life.