Asalif lives with his mother on the outskirts of Addis Ababa until they are forced to leave their home. The city is expanding relentlessly, displacing rural structures and tearing apart established communities. As modern apartment complexes shoot up, they have no choice but to find their way in the shadow of the new world.

But Asalif refuses to give up his identity. He takes refuge in a world of fantasy in which he becomes the courageous lion warrior – ANBESSA, the Amharic word for lion. With inventive creativity, he defies the new challenges, explores the surroundings and tries to assert himself against the invisible forces that destroyed his home. Among electrical cables, half-finished buildings and the shadows of the past, he creates his own reality in which he remains a hero.

ANBESSA celebrated its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival and was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, among others. Director Mo Scarpelli uses poetic imagery to capture the contradictions between tradition and modernity and tells a deeply moving coming-of-age story that is also a poignant reflection on the consequences of unchecked growth.