“Fig Tree,” the debut film by Israeli-Ethiopian director Alamork Marsha, won the prestigious Audentia Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival Sunday.
The prize, which includes a €30,000 award, is given by the European foundation Eurimages to the best film directed by a woman.
“Fig Tree” was screened as part of the Discovery Section of the 2018 Toronto Film Festival.
Filmed entirely in Ethiopia, “Fig Tree” tells the story of 14-year-old Mina, a Jewish girl attempting to navigate the final days of her youth in pastoral Ethiopia, where she spends her time with her friends and Christian boyfriend Eli.
The 93-minute-film won the $50,000 top prize at the 2014 Sam Spiegel International Film Lab.
The film s in Amharic with translation to Hebrew and English.
Marsha shot the film in Ethiopia, and cast it with amateurs and actors from the local theatre scene in Addis Ababa.
