Filmmaker Explores Family's Ethiopian Exodus and Identity
Translated & summarized from Haaretz by baba
Filmmaker Avishai Melsan Tsegahun created a series exploring his family's journey from Ethiopia and the reasons behind children's potential shame towards their parents. He regrets not knowing more about his mother's experiences during their immigration to Israel.
The story in 4 lines · by baba
- Filmmaker Avishai Melsan Tsegahun created a series about his family's Ethiopian immigration.
- He regrets not knowing more about his mother's experiences during their journey.
- The series also explores children's shame towards parents and his own arrest.
- Tsegahun's father remained in Ethiopia due to military service.
Filmmaker and director Avishai Melsan Tsegahun created the series "Lost Ones" after realizing his own lack of knowledge about his family's journey from Ethiopia. He reflects on his mother's passing eight years ago, regretting not asking her more about their immigration to Israel in 1983 and wishing he had documented her experiences. Tsegahun was two and a half years old when his mother, Tzahinash, left Ethiopia with him and his two sisters, Aniyesh Nurit and Estetka Nava. His father, Abraham, remained behind due to service in the Ethiopian army, separating the family. "I know where we passed. She said 'we were here for a week, we went to a camp there,' but I don't know how she felt or what she experienced," Tsegahun stated, expressing his sorrow over not having filmed her.
The series aims to address why children might feel ashamed of their parents and what led to his own arrest on the street, suggesting a connection to his family's history and his identity.