18/06/2010 - The movie industry in Ethiopia has grown over the last few years. The number of local production is rapidly rising and the audience is asking for more.

The movie industry in Ethiopia is showing a great rise with 75 films produced in the last year alone, attracting over 600,000 viewers, APA learns here on Tuesday.

An international short film festival is currently being held in Addis Ababa (from 14 to 19 June 2010) where around 100 films across the world are being screened.
It was reported during the occasion that Ethiopian films are currently dominating the cinema market since the past two years.

The Ethiopian Film Producers Association (EFPA) said that some 75 films were produced and displayed for show in various cinema houses in 2009.
The EFPA Deputy President Tomas Getachew, said that the number of viewers of local movies has increased to an average of 2.7 million over the last seven years from less than 200,000 before.
Only last year, around 605, 454 viewers were recorded for various local films in two cinema houses in Addis Ababa, home to around five million people.

It is reported that the number of movies being produced annually is on the rise.
According to EFPA, only 194 movies were produced in the last six years, with 75 of them produced last year alone.

“The movie industry has shown a rapid progress. However, the number is insignificant when compared to that of the number of films which a country like Nigeria produces,” added the association.
Nigeria is the leading film producer in Africa with around 2,500 movies being produced annually in that country.

Various films are being shown to the public at the on-going film festival.
The festival being held under the theme, “Images That Matter”, at the National theater in Addis Ababa, aims to use film as a “ personal, social, and economic tool and to facilitate an exchange between African filmmakers and the international community”.
According to the organizers, a competition among 25 East African filmmakers, with the first prize being an air ticket to France for training in film production will be held at the final day of the festival.