Projects Supported
BESELA
Set in Tigray, Ethiopia, this documentary follows a UN worker, nurse, a politician, and a former child soldier as they navigate the aftermath of a hidden genocide. Intimate and poetic, it captures their resilience, trauma, and healing while revealing the lingering scars of war.
Directed and written by Sarah Elliott
Co-directed by Jonny Stern
Produced by Sarah Elliott, Jonny Stern & Amanuel Hailemariam
PRODUCTION GRANT
SYNOPSIS
Sarah Elliott, a former humanitarian worker for the UN, returns to Tigray without her UN badge to document the story from within and heal from her war induced PTSD. Alongside her are Sister Mulu, a fearless nurse aiding survivors of wartime sexual violence often to her own detriment; Shewit, a now paralysed former child soldier grappling with an unknown future; and Getachew Reda, a top political figure reckoning with his guilt and role in the war.
Through their eyes, we experience the fractured aftermath of a brutal two year siege, the slow rebuilding of identity and community, and the haunting echo of questions left unanswered: Why did this happen? What role did I play? And what happens now?
Images: Jonny Stern (DP) & Amanuel Hailemariam (Cinematographer)