Tidar is based on stories and testimonies of real people in Ethiopia collected through years’ community-based research with women and men, clergy, monks and church teachers on the ground. The film does not seek to represent the teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and theological experts were consulted in the making of the film where theological references are made. The film also does not seek to suggest how clergy should respond to domestic violence victims but rather depicts how different members of the clergy currently respond based on the findings of the research. The aim of the film is to problematise these responses, positive or negative, and to start a conversation within the Church and beyond.

The film is released to be used for educational purposes by any individual or organisations working on raising awareness about and responding to domestic violence in faith communities. While Genet’s story takes place in an Orthodox Christian community in Ethiopia, the challenges she faces as she seeks a solution to her situation are cross-cultural and can inform conversations and approaches elsewhere. The film should be understood as an attempt to present the complexity of the problem with all its nuances and not to essentialise the problem to Ethiopia only. So please use it with the appropriate context.

Please be advised that the film includes domestic violence scenes, in the beginning and ending scenes.

This is one of many educational films produced by the project with funding from UK Research and Innovation to promote the project’s public engagement and knowledge exchange aims. The film is based on real people’s stories and testimonies collected through research in Ethiopia, and tells the story of Genet, who is experiencing domestic violence, and presents her search for a moral and practical solution to her situation within the village community. It shows how the community responds to Genet’s predicament and how personal faith, religious mediation and theological teaching influence how she thinks through her situation. The aim of the film is to raise awareness about the complex role that religion can have in situations of domestic violence in the Ethiopian Orthodox community, influencing both victim and perpetrator rationalisations and behaviour.

The film was written and led by Dr Romina Istratii, directed by Yidnekachew Shumete of Kurat Pictures and produced by Hermon Hailay and Max Conil of Exile Pictures. It has been re-enacted by Amharic-speaking actors in Ethiopia, with subtitles being produced in Tigrigna, Afaan Oromoo and English with the help of two exceptional translators, Dr Haile Gezae, and Mesfin Wodajo. The film was screened for the first time in 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and again in London and Cambridge, UK in 2024. It was nominated as a finalised for the 2024 Learning on Screen Awards.

Watch the movie here