 |
| Ethiopian and American film track |
Hi everyone!
I apologize for the extreme lack of updates. There have been
major technical problems but I now have a short window to let you all know what
has been going on in the past week and a half.
The Ethiopian staff and students who are part of the Great
Commission Ministry here are very friendly. After the third day, the Americans and
Ethiopians split into two separate tracks, directing/writing and
cinematography. Director Jeremy Casper and Cinematographer Joe Sindorf traveled
from the US to teach us the process of filmmaking from beginning to end. They
have been really helpful and knowledgeable with giving us the motivation to
start pre-production and answering any questions we have. It has been really
exciting to see everyone in our film group learn so much. We’re shooting in a
week and we are all getting the first draft of our scripts ready for this
Saturday. Since we are still planning…and planning…and planning, there is not
much else to say. I will have much more info and photos when we move into
production next week.
As for Addis Ababa, it is difficult to express what I am
experiencing here but I will try my best to convey what I have seen so far. Since the city is 7,600 feet above sea level,
the air is very thin. On top of that, the cars pollute the air so much that it
is difficult to breathe when walking or even riding in a taxi. The people here
are beautiful and they always stare at us when we walk down the street, and
understandably so. A group of 30 American students stand out here like an
awkward flock of geese. For the most part, drivers only stop if they feel they
want pedestrians to cross the street, though we did take a short field trip to
the one stop light in the middle of the city.
We have traveled around different areas of Addis and have seen
poverty on a level that I just can’t wrap my mind around. Most of the stores
and homes are just large, metal storage crates that have been placed side by
side. It is also common to see vendors sleeping under bridges and building
fires at night to keep warm, ready to sell cigarettes, toys, and other goods in
the morning.
How I feel about all this, I’m not sure. One thing I noticed
is that people here are not afraid to hope in something greater than
themselves. Many have no other option. People here choose to believe in one of
three major belief systems: Islam, Orthodox Christianity, and Protestantism. Just
the reality of God in the lives of the majority of Ethiopians and their
openness to talk about it is probably the biggest shock to me. This is
especially true when comparing this to the general indifferent attitude towards
religion and spirituality that I have experienced back home.
There will be more to show of the city and its culture with
a short video in the next few days. For now, some of the photos I have taken so far are embedded in the following post since Blog spot is too slow to upload photos.
