When a massive Chinese industrial park lands in rural Ethiopia, a dusty farming town finds itself at the new frontier of globalization. Filmed over four years, 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 fueled by profit and progress, and a vanishing countryside where life is still measured by the cycle of the seasons. 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.
Canada, Ethiopia, USA, UK 2024, '91
DIRECTOR: Xinyan Yu, Max Duncan
CAMERA: Max Duncan
MONTAGE: Biel Andrés Jeppe Bødskov Siyi Chen
MUSIC: Ali Helnwein
PRODUCERS: Tamara Dawit, Xinyan Yu, Max Duncan
FESTIVALS & AWARDS:
Tribeca FF: Special Mention – Documentary Feature (2024)
Sheffield IDF (2024)
Tallinn Black Nights FF (2024)
Warsaw IFF (2024)
Hong Kong Asian FF (2024)
Xinyan Yu
Xinyan Yu is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker based in Washington, DC. Born and raised in Wuhan, China, Xinyan started her journalism career in 2012 working as a producer for BBC News in Beijing. She has covered major breaking news across Asia and North America for a decade. Now an independent filmmaker, Xinyan has directed and produced content for international broadcasters including BBC, NHK, PBS NOVA, PBS Frontline and Channel News Asia She is a New America National Fellow, a Firelight Media Doc Lab fellow, a Brown Girls Doc Mafia Sustainable Artist fellow and an alumnus of the Yaddo Residency. Made in Ethiopia is her feature documentary debut.
Max Duncan
Max Duncan is an award-winning filmmaker, cinematographer and journalist whose work has appeared on platforms including the BBC, PBS, The Guardian, The New York Times and Al Jazeera. He worked for a decade in China, first as a video journalist for Reuters news agency in Beijing and then independently, exploring the country’s meteoric rise from many angles. He has since reported widely across Asia (including multiple trips to North Korea), Africa, Europe and Latin America. Max has won a World Press Photo Award, been supported by organizations including Pulitzer, and is an alumnus of Yaddo and Logan Nonfiction programs. Made in Ethiopia is his feature documentary debut.
