Films
I make short films and images that explore local histories and capture the beauty of everyday people. I hand process my super 8, 35mm, and 120 film using spices, coffee, flowers and herbs. The seasonality of the ingredients and site specific nature of the eco-friendly chemistry that I create in the darkroom is connected to my culinary practice, involving measurement, assembly, and experimentation.
Bereka // Bereka is an archive of family history as told by matriarch Azalu Mekonnen and her granddaughter Samira Hooks. Filmed in Los Angeles and Gondar, Ethiopia, the film captures the Ethiopian coffee ceremony and explores migration, memory and rebirth. Bereka was shot on Super 8 film and hand processed at the Echo Park Film Center by Nesanet Teshager Abegaze. Bereka screened at Sundance Film Festival and won best experimental film at Blackstar Film Festival.
Phillis Wheatley // An exploration of Ethiopianism, and the ways in which diasporic youth find strength in the Pan-African ideologies put forth by figures such as Marcus Garvey, Phillis Wheatley, and countless reggae musicians. A historical conversation that extends in many directions. Filmed in Gondar, Ethiopia, the Super 8 film was hand processed by Nesanet Teshager Abegaze at the Echo Park Film Center. Score by Sameer Sideeq Toure.
Afrikan Space Program Forever // The Ras G music festival was held in Leimert Park on August 10, 2019, as a loving tribute to a community champion, musical genius, and visionary, Gregory Shorter - aka Ras G. The super 8 film was eco-processed by hand w/ flowers, coffee, & berbere at the Echo Park Film Center by Nesanet Abegaze.
Biddy Hussle //A love letter to Bridget "Biddy" Mason and Nipsey Hussle who share a birthday and radical commitment to community care and empowerment. Shot in Los Angeles and hand processed by Sonny Abegaze and Nesanet Teshager Abegaze.