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Hairat
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Hairat
IDFA 2017

Hairat

Jessica Beshir
Ethiopia, United States, Mexico
2017
7 min
European Premiere
Festival history

Every night for more than 35 years, Yussuf Mume Saleh has gone outside the city walls of Hararā€”the centuries-old Ethiopian city and one of the worldā€™s most important Islamic settlementsā€” to feed his beloved spotted hyenas. Although these animals are by no means harmless, over the years Yussuf has developed such a close bond with them that he can even feed them from his own mouth. His special relationship with the hyenas is not unique in Harar: despite these predatorsā€™ fearsome reputation, the local human population has a longstanding symbiotic relationship with the animals. This enchanting, hypnotic and poetic film connects the beautiful black-and-white shots of Yusuf and his hyenas with a poem by Elias Shagiz Adonay Tesfaye about suffering, loss and love. Hairat is based on the early memories of Mexican-Ethiopian director Jessica Beshir, who grew up in Harar and as a child particularly enjoyed seeing Yussuf feed the hyenas.Ā 

Credits
Director
Cinematography
    Efrem Degu,
    Jessica Beshir
Editing
    Charlie Hoxie
    Charlie Hoxie
Sound
Music
    Language Games
    Language Games

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