Markers: Films that push the boundaries of the documentary form

Named Finfinnee in the Oromo language, Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa, with an official population close to five million. This rapid expansion comes with a human cost: the government's response to the housing crisis has been to demolish areas for development, and to construct more and more buildings on the periphery of the city, with considerable impact on the poor and rural populations. Taking us on a journey through the outskirts of the metropolis, Daniel Kötter's film travels along the Akaki River, exploring the multiple meanings of the word "rift"—geographic, social, economic, linguistic. Engrossing architectural and landscape images provide the backdrop to a polyphonic narrative by farmers and construction workers who relate their experience in the sprawling city. Interweaving their conversations in a revelatory way, Rift Finfinnee provides a sharp-eyed analysis of a brutal urbanization that has sown the seeds of civil war. Charlotte Selb

Goethe Toronto's Jutta Brendemühl spoke with director Daniel Kötter. Watch interview >>

Rift Finfinnee is being presented in partnership with the Goethe Institut

This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.