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Ferenj

"A Graphic Memoir in VR"

“Ferenj” is an afrosurreal dreamscape crafted from the director’s reconstructed memories questioning the meaning of home and identity as a mixed-race, Ethiopian-American growing up amidst cultural dissonance. The viewer is guided through fragments of Empress Taytu (her parents’ Ethiopian restaurant in Cleveland, OH) to the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by a speculative one-way conversation between the narrator and Empress Taytu – the restaurant personified as the historic empress. “Ferenj” harnesses photogrammetry as a tool to reclaim the 3D scanned spaces and redefine Robson’s relationship to them on her own terms.

Top Cast

  • Ainslee Alem Robson

    Ainslee Alem Robson

    Narrator

  • Melkamayehu Belachew

    Melkamayehu Belachew

  • Tewabech Belachew

    Tewabech Belachew

  • Betelhem Shiferaw

    Betelhem Shiferaw

  • Senait Robson

    Senait Robson

  • Carl A. Robson

    Carl A. Robson

  • Laure Michelon

    Laure Michelon

  • Kate Stuteville

    Kate Stuteville

  • Spencer Daly

    Spencer Daly

Overview

“Ferenj” is an afrosurreal dreamscape crafted from the director’s reconstructed memories questioning the meaning of home and identity as a mixed-race, Ethiopian-American growing up amidst cultural dissonance. The viewer is guided through fragments of Empress Taytu (her parents’ Ethiopian restaurant in Cleveland, OH) to the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by a speculative one-way conversation between the narrator and Empress Taytu – the restaurant personified as the historic empress. “Ferenj” harnesses photogrammetry as a tool to reclaim the 3D scanned spaces and redefine Robson’s relationship to them on her own terms.

Rating

NR / 10
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Heavy Traffic

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