Ethiopia will hold for the first time the Russian Film Days. The event will take place as part of the Ethiopian International Film Festival to unite filmmakers and viewers from 26 countries from November 15th to 22nd in Addis Ababa.
The big screen of the Addis Theatre and Cinema will introduce the Ethiopian audience to six Russian modern motion pictures in various genres from war dramas and adventures to family comedies and animation. All screenings will be in Russian language with English subtitles, and the entrance for viewers will be free of charge.
The integration of a wide Russian program into the Ethiopian International Film Festival is organized by ROSKINO with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
“Cultural cooperation is one of the most important bridges connecting Russia to the African cultures. The cinema dialogue between Russia and Ethiopia creates a special space for showing the two nations’ spiritual heritage, rich traditions, and creative achievements. Russian Film Days Ethiopia let us introduce the viewers to Russian films in various genres and will make for an important step in strengthening cultural dialogue between our countries,” as emphasized by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova.
The partners of the event in Ethiopia are the Ethiopian International Film Festival and Addis Ababa Theatre Houses Enterprise.
“What matters most for us, it’s the first time when ROSKINO organizes the screenings of Russian films for Ethiopian viewers, and it happens straightly at one of the country’s main cinematic events. We prepared the program full of outstanding motion pictures for wide audience from historic dramas to family comedies and animation. We are confident that the viewers in Addis Ababa will highly appreciate the modern Russian cinema’s variety and achievements,” as pointed out by the CEO of ROSKINO Elza Antonova.
The film to open the program is the military drama His name was not listed (directed by Sergey Korotaev), dedicated to the feat of the Brest Fortress defenders on the first days of the Great Patriotic War. The motion picture tells the story of a young lieutenant Nikolay Pluzhnikov who arrives at his duty station not long before June 22nd, 1941. Before he has the time to officially take his office, he finds himself in the center of military actions together with other defenders of the fortress and shows exceptional bravery and resilience.
““His name was not listed” has repeatedly served as the film to open ROSKINO’s festivals, and it has enjoyed warm welcome in Iran, China, Vietnam, and Serbia. We are happy that it will find its viewers in Ethiopia, too, where it will undoubtedly deeply touch their hearts. It’s important that such universal values as heroism, fidelity, friendship, and love for one’s motherland resound abroad and continue to cement inter-cultural dialogue,” as pointed out by Alexander Zharov, the CEO of the Gazprom Media Holding.
The program of Russian Film Days includes five more films that reflect the variety of genres in the modern Russian cinema:
Don’t Mess with Baba Yaga (2025, directed by Alexander Voytinsky) – family fantasy comedy about an unexpected encounter of a modern-day child with a character from the Russian folklore. The characters’ habitual world changes when Yaga enters their life, now they are in for magical adventures and challenges. The film unites traditional fairy tale motives with contemporary humor and addresses the topics of friendship, trust, and reciprocity.
“We are consistently developing international promotion of Russian cinema projects by presenting them at more festival forums. Don’t Mess with Baba Yaga is an interesting example of figures belonging to Russian folklore becoming a part of modern world in a family movie that is easy to understand for viewers in many different countries. We expect the screening in Ethiopia to give the film access to new audience,” as pointed out by the CEO of the National Media Group, Svetlana Balanova.
Lefty (2025, directed by Vladimir Besedin) – an adventure crime movie inspired by the famous book by Nikolay Leskov. The film is set in the Russian Empire at the end of the XIXth century. A talented craftsman from Tula, Leftie, gets involved in the investigation of mysterious events that can influence the fate of the entire country. The film incorporates the elements of period adventure film, crime movie and a spectacular action movie.
Son of a Rich 3 (2026, directed by Klim Shipenko) continues the popular Russian comedy franchise. This time the characters are to pass extraordinary challenges in the environment of Peter I’s epoch to get a new outlook at family relationships, responsibility, and life values.
My Africa (2026, directed by Olga Akatieva) – a feature film that addresses the theme of human relationship, cultural differences, and looking for mutual understanding.
Kid-E-Cats. A Journey Through Time (2025, directed by Alexey Gorbunov) a full-feature animated adventure about our favorite characters: Cookie, Candy, and Pudding. Thanks to an extraordinary journey through time, the kittens travel to different historic epochs for exciting discoveries, new acquaintances, and unexpected challenges. This cartoon is about friendship, reciprocity, and curiosity.
The program incorporates films for viewers of different ages and will introduce the Ethiopian audience to contemporary interpretations of Russian classic books, fairy tales, and motion pictures deducted to the key chapters in Russian history.
Russian films’ participation in one of the most significant film viewings on the African continent will continue ROSKINO’s systematic work to make the Russian cinematographer popular abroad and strengthen the international cultural interaction.
The Ethiopian International Film Festival that will include Russian Film Days from now on was founded in Addis Ababa in 2005 and, for two decades already, has been facilitating the development of the national film industry, international cultural exchange, and strengthening professional ties among various countries.
