Made In Ethiopia - English subtitled
Documentary about the arrival of a Chinese factory complex in rural Ethiopia. It is supposed to create 30,000 new jobs, but the local population's belief in the positive impact of the project will be severely tested.
A dusty farming town in Ethiopia suddenly finds itself at the new frontier of globalization. The factory complex’s Chinese director Motto now needs to do her utmost to push through a high-stakes expansion. Ethiopian farmer Workinesh and factory worker Beti have staked their futures on the prosperity the park promises. But as initial hope meets painful realities, they find themselves, like their country, at a pivotal crossroads.
Filmed over four years with singular access, Made In Ethiopia lifts the curtain on China’s historic but misunderstood impact on Africa, and explores contemporary Ethiopia at a moment of profound crisis. The film throws audiences into two colliding worlds: an industrial juggernaut fuelled by profit and progress, and a vanishing countryside where life is still measured by the cycle of the seasons. And its nuance, complexity and multi-perspective approach go beyond black-and-white narratives of victims and villains. As the three women’s stories unfold, Made In Ethiopia challenges us to rethink the relationship between tradition and modernity, growth and welfare, the development of a country and the well-being of its people.