''Blood is Not Fresh Water'', also known as ''Il Sangue Non E Acqua Fresca,'' is an Ethiopian film, made in 1997 and directed by
Theo Eshetu
Theo is a given name and a hypocorism.
Greek origin
Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example:
*Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...
.
The film has been called Eshetu's seminal work.
Synopsis
In the film Eshetu traces his family to Ethiopia, where his grandfather lives and which the director uses to discuss
Italian colonialism.
Release
The film was originally released in 1997 and since its release, has been curated by
African Film Festival, Inc., which screened it at their 2000 film festival.
''Blood is Not Fresh Water'' was additionally screened at the
Wolfsonian-FIU
The Wolfsonian–Florida International University or The Wolfsonian-FIU, located in the heart of the Art Deco District of Miami Beach, Florida, is a museum, library and research center that uses its collection to illustrate the persuasive power of ...
in 2007 and at the Miami Art Central in 2006.
Reception
''Blood is Not Fresh Water'' has received a positive reception and is considered by Selene Wendt to be Exhetu's seminal work.
Stuart Klawans
Stuart Klawans has been the film critic for ''The Nation'' since 1988. He also writes a column on the visual arts for ''The New York Daily News''.
Education
He obtained his degree from Yale University.
Awards and honors
He won the 2007 National M ...
wrote favorably about the movie in ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
'', calling it one of the most absorbing films of the 2000 African Film Festival and that it was "a wryly impressionistic travelogue".
Per Mbye B. Cham, the film "uses the filmmaker’s grandfather, Tekle Tsadik Mekouria, a historian in his own right, as the principal narrative vehicle for re-telling the story of Ethiopia across broad time spans, events and achievements. An impressive mosaic of images, archival footage, personal testimonies and humor is mobilized with great skill and imagination to speak about Ethiopia of Solomonic origins, her ancient and proud heritage of culture, religion and art, and the experiences with
Italian fascist invasion in 1936, seemingly to avenge their defeat half a century earlier in 1896 at the
Battle of Adwa
The Battle of Adwa (; ti, ውግእ ዓድዋ; , also spelled ''Adowa'') was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian forces defeated the Italian invading force on Sunday 1 March 1896, near the town of Adwa. The d ...
. "
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 218850, Blood is Not Fresh Water
1997 films
Ethiopian documentary films