Skip to main content
The River film image; women in a circle around another woman with their hands framing her head

The River

The River is a poetic and beautiful short film that pays homage to culture and the experiences of girls and women as they relate to education, marriage, and the life-giving properties of water. Exploring these themes in the context of Ethiopia, this artfully crafted film draws inspiration from the director’s childhood home, Kebena.

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

2024

Language

In Amharic with English subtitles

Film Contact
PG

Open to youth

18 min
Documentary Drama Shorts Women Directors

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Firehiwot Berhane

Producer

Firehiwot Berhane Germay

Screenwriter

Tigist Mezgebu Kifle

Cinematography

Tedos Teffera Tesfaye

Editor

Tedos Teffera Tesfaye, Amanuel Girma Ashenafi

Production Design

Rediet Haddis Yalew

Herrana Addisu headshot

Herrana Addisu

Herrana Addisu is a multi-disciplinary artist, film director, and social impact strategist passionate about community organizing and visual storytelling.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Rear Window

Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
110 min

James Stewart is the man who sees too much. "Jeff" Jeffries is a sports photographer waylaid by a broken leg, doomed to spend the summer in a wheelchair in his New York apartment. That's how he comes to witness a murder in the dead of night (or does he?).

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Vivaldi and Me

Dir. Damiano Michieletto
111 min

Venice, 1716. Composer Antonio Vivaldi teaches at an orphanage for abandoned girls, and establishes a deep rapport with violinist Cecelia — but their collaboration is threatened by her impending arranged marriage.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Whispers in the Woods

Dir. Vincent Munier
94 min

A luxuriant, healing immersion in nature with ravishing wildlife photography, this is the cinematic equivalent of "forest bathing," a trip deep into the Vosges, France, with photographer Vincent Munier (The Velvet Queen), his father and his son.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Three Colours: Red

Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski
99 min

Irène Jacob plays Valentine, a runway model living in Geneva, who crosses paths with a retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who's a bit of an eavesdropper. Initially repelled, she becomes intrigued by this man, as do we... Kieslowski's sublime adieu.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Dir. Mike Newell
118 min

Four Weddings begins with an onslaught of fucks. It's the first signal that this rom-com will break from tradition, despite the ritualized structural conceit described in the title. The witty screenplay is by Richard Curtis — it's still his best.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Camp

Dir. Avalon Fast
111 min

Reeling from two devastating tragedies, Emily (Zola Grimmer) takes refuge at a summer camp for troubled youth, where she has been offered a position as counsellor. She finds friendship, but also something more unexpected, something truly troubling...

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre