Ethiopia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but it’s hell to make a film about. Absolutely nothing seems to happen. Or rather, what does happen, happens layer upon layer below the surface. It’s like living in a Chekov play.
Admittedly, during most of the time we were filming, the country was undergoing one of its long and strictly-kept fasts. The Ethiopian Christian is the world’s most rigorous faster – 165 days each year are normal, and the devout notch up 250 days in the 365.