''Imperfect Journey'' is a 1994

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

directed by

Haile Gerima Haile Gerima (born March 4, 1946) is an Ethiopian filmmaker who lives and works in the United States. He is a leading member of the L.A. Rebellion film movement, also known as the Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers. His films have receiv ...

Plot summary

''Imperfect Journey'' is a BBC commissioned film, exploring the political and psychic recovery of the Ethiopian people after the atrocities and political repression or " red terror" of the military junta of

Mengistu Haile Mariam Mengistu Haile Mariam ( am, መንግሥቱ ኀይለ ማሪያም, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian politician and former army officer who was the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991 and General Secretary of the Wor ...

. Haile Gerima travelled to Ethiopia together with

Ryszard Kapuściński Ryszard Kapuściński (; 4 March 1932 – 23 January 2007) was a Polish journalist, photographer, poet and author. He received many awards and was considered a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Kapuściński's personal journals in bo ...

. In the course of the journey they meet and talk with people from all levels of Ethiopian society. The filmmaker questions the direction of the succeeding government and the will of the people in creating institutions guaranteeing their liberation. Haile Gerima gave his thoughts on the film

References

1994 films Ethiopian documentary films Amharic-language films English-language Ethiopian films Films set in Ethiopia Films directed by Haile Gerima Documentary films about African politics 1990s English-language films {{poli-documentary-film-stub