User:Yuntian Gan/Adanech Admassu

Adanech Admussu, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is one of the earliest filmmakers in Ethiopia. The central axes of her work are cooperating with NGO programs in Ethiopia and addressing public health and human right problems in Ethiopia and across Africa, especially with stories of girls and women. In Gem TV she produced many films about everyday life in the communities.

Early Life
Adanech Admussu was born and raised in the Mercato community in Addis Ababa as the eldest children in a Christian family. Since her early childhood, her father had left the family. At the age of 16, she left school. She took care of her younger family members during the time her mother was sick and later started selling snacks on the street of Mercato to earn wages her family.

Film Maker
In 1997 she joined a training program from Gem TV, one of the first film schools in Ethiopia. That program took children from disadvantaged backgrounds into a to become filmmakers. It is where she first got in touch with film making and was given the chance to have her own voice. She also got some opportunities of further educations during the training. She later went on to stay in Gem TV with some other alumni.

In 2002 she directed her first documentary called "Stolen Childhood" that address the issue of under-aged marriage in Ethiopia by telling the true story of a young girl forced into marriage. This film won her a few awards in Ethiopia and around the world. From then on she directed or assist directed documentaries and films related to social justice and social welfare, often in cooperation with NGOs or international compaigns. Her focus expand from Ethiopia into other African countries.

In 2014 she was selected to attend Cannes Film Festival through “From Addis To Cannes” along with 4 other Ethiopian filmmakers.

Documentaries and Documentary Dramas
Stolen Childhood (2002)

Pillar of the House (2004)

Reaching the Unreachable (2006)

Films
Exploring Employment Potential through Road Works – The ILO experience (2005)

Calling the Stars

Awards and Recognition
In 2008, her film "Stolen Childhood" won the Award on Rights and Justice in 2nd Addis International Film Festival and in 2012 she received the 24th ONE WORLD MEDIA award on behalf of Gem TV for this film.

In 2018 her short film "Calling the Stars" was selected into the Official Selection of short films in 23rd Zanzibar International Film Festival.