Made in Ethiopia
- Directed by: Max Duncan, Xinyan Yu
- Released: 2024 (educational)
- Year of Production: 2023
When a massive Chinese industrial park lands in rural Ethiopia, a dusty farming town finds itself at the new frontier of globalization. The sprawling factory complex’s formidable Chinese director Motto now needs every bit of mettle and charm she can muster to push through a high-stakes expansion that promises 30,000 new jobs. Ethiopian farmer Workinesh and factory worker Beti have staked their futures on the prosperity the park promises. But as initial hope meets painful realities, they find themselves, like their country, at a pivotal crossroads.
Filmed over four years with singular access, Made in Ethiopia lifts the curtain on China’s historic but misunderstood impact on Africa, and explores contemporary Ethiopia at a moment of profound crisis. The film throws audiences into two colliding worlds: an industrial juggernaut fueled by profit and progress, and a vanishing countryside where life is still measured by the cycle of the seasons. And its nuance, complexity and multi-perspective approach go beyond black and white narratives of victims and villains. As the three women’s stories unfold, Made in Ethiopia challenges us to rethink the relationship between tradition and modernity, growth and welfare, the development of a country and the well-being of its people.
Official Selection at the Tribeca Festival 2024, Sheffield DocFest 2024 and DC/DOX 2024
“Directors Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan take the macro issue of China’s influence in Africa and present it provocatively… A complicated morality tale of ever-changing priorities and loyalties… A compelling narrative about how Chinese influence in Ethiopia impacts both expats and native people. The camera is patient and probing, and the story weaves in political and social context successfully… Should be able to start many conversations about these topical issues.” – Murtada Elfadl, Variety
“[An] absorbing and fascinating documentary… [A] fascinating glimpse into modern-day Ethiopia and into two colliding worlds… An enthralling journey into a little seen part of Africa.” – Mark Adams, Business Doc Europe
"[An] unyieldingly candid and revelatory documentary…Will undoubtedly enlighten viewers and conjure many conversations.” – MJ O’Toole, Hammer to Nail
Xinyan is an award-winning video journalist and filmmaker based in Washington DC. Born and raised in China, Xinyan started her journalism career in 2012 working as a producer covering the Asia Pacific region for BBC News based in Beijing. In 2018, she launched the North America video team for Hong Kong’s flagship newspaper South China Morning Post in New York, and later joined the BBC's Washington DC bureau as a Senior Video Journalist in 2020. Now working as an independent filmmaker, Xinyan has directed and produced for international broadcasters and programs including BBC News, NHK, PBS NOVA and PBS Frontline. She is a New America National Fellow, a Firelight Media Doc Lab fellow, a Brown Girls Doc Mafia Sustainable Artist fellow and an alumnus of the Yaddo Residency.
Max Duncan is an award-winning filmmaker, cinematographer and journalist whose work has appeared on platforms including the BBC, PBS, The Guardian, The New York Times and Al Jazeera and screened at major international festivals. He worked for a decade in China, first for Reuters news agency in Beijing and then independently, and has reported widely across Asia (including multiple trips to North Korea), Africa, Europe and Latin America. Max has received recognition including a World Press Photo Award, been supported by organizations including Pulitzer, and is an alumnus of Yaddo and Logan Nonfiction programs. His first feature documentary, Made in Ethiopia, was awarded the Special Jury Mention at Tribeca Festival 2024.
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