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
Wisdom of Happiness Wisdom of Happiness
Barbara Miller, Philip Delaquis
Wednesday, 17. 09. 2025 / 15:20 / Main Hall
With disarming wit, the Dalai Lama reflects on balancing millennia-old Tibetan Buddhist traditions with the contemporary values of our globalised society that now struggles to overcome violence and war while standing on the brink of environmental collapse.
Love Kjærlighet
Dag Johan Haugerud
Wednesday, 17. 09. 2025 / 17:20 / Main Hall
Sex, Love, and Dreams–not necessarily in that order–are the chapters in the trilogy exploring contemporary relationships, set in modern-day Oslo. In Love, the director invites us to reflect on our desires and expectations regarding sexuality, relationships, and intimacy.
Premiere
Fiume o morte! Fiume o morte!
Igor Bezinović
Wednesday, 17. 09. 2025 / 20:00 / Main Hall
On 12 September 1919, a troop of some three hundred soldiers under the leadership of the flamboyant war-loving Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio swooped into the Northern-Adriatic port town of Fiume, now Rijeka, wanting to annex the city to Italy. Over the course of the next 16 months, during what is regarded as one of the most bizarre militant sieges of all time his official photography team captured over 10,000 images. A century later, Igor Bezinović orchestrates a direct-action history lesson focused on the siege and its modern-day implications.