Skip to main content
The River film image; women in a circle around another woman with their hands framing her head

The River

The River is a poetic and beautiful short film that pays homage to culture and the experiences of girls and women as they relate to education, marriage, and the life-giving properties of water. Exploring these themes in the context of Ethiopia, this artfully crafted film draws inspiration from the director’s childhood home, Kebena.

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

2024

Language

In Amharic with English subtitles

Film Contact
PG

Open to youth

18 min
Documentary Drama Shorts Women Directors

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Firehiwot Berhane

Producer

Firehiwot Berhane Germay

Screenwriter

Tigist Mezgebu Kifle

Cinematography

Tedos Teffera Tesfaye

Editor

Tedos Teffera Tesfaye, Amanuel Girma Ashenafi

Production Design

Rediet Haddis Yalew

Herrana Addisu headshot

Herrana Addisu

Herrana Addisu is a multi-disciplinary artist, film director, and social impact strategist passionate about community organizing and visual storytelling.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

The Secret in Their Eyes

Dir. Juan José Campanella
129 min

This month's Talking Pictures screening is a multi-layered, poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a prosecution investigator (Ricardo Darin) and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years. Stay for cookies, coffee and a chat after!

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

American Doctor

Dir. Poh Si Teng
93 min

One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Sunless

Dir. Chris Marker
103 min

Chris Marker's dazzling and discursive essay film ranges across Japan, Africa, San Francisco, Iceland, politics, philosophy, ritual, movies and memory. It's a film for the permanently curious.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Meet Me In St. Louis

Dir. Vincente Minnelli
113 min

Vincente Minnelli's heartwarming evergreen chronicles an ordinarily tumultuous year in the life of a prosperous household in 1904. It's debatable that MGM ever conjured a more affecting musical.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema