This is an evening discussing African cinema. We will explore the historical journey of the development of African cinema. We will deal with elements attributed to what we call African cinema; various schools of thought and trends observed in African Cinema. We will examine the role of political and social conditions in shaping the topic and form of the films. Examples of films will be viewed. We will discuss challenges and advantages of the past as well as contemporary African cinema. We will also become acquainted with a few notable filmmakers and their works. At the end we will watch Aron’s latest futuristic short film “Dagu” that premiered at Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt in March 2019.

Aron Yeshitila (*1982) was born in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. He graduated from the University Addis Ababa (AAU) in Theatre Arts and later worked as theatre and filmmaker. At the 3rd International Ethiopian Film Festival in 2008 he won the award for best screenwriter for the film “Mizewochu” (The Best Men). Aron Yeshitila has worked as a journalist and editor for several weeklies in Ethiopia. Since moving to Switzerland in 2010, Aron has made his first documentary film “In the Face of God and Gun” (2013). He has taken part in various theatre pieces as a dramatic advisor and performer, including “Semiramis” that was shown in various cities of Switzerland and FITMO international theatre festival Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. “Kings of Interest”, a theatre piece he wrote and directed, premiered in Theater Tuchlaube, Aarau in February 2018. His latest short film “Dagu” was premiered at the Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt in March 2019. He is currently developing his next theatre piece “The Possibilities” to be premiered in March 2020 in Theater Tuchlaube.

© Sana al Mor