Hairat

Every night for more than 35 years, Yussuf Mume Saleh has gone outside the city walls of Harar - the centuries-old Ethiopian city and one of the world’s most important Islamic settlements - to feed his beloved spotted hyenas. Although these animals are by no means harmless, over the years Yussuf has developed such a close bond with them that he can even feed them from his own mouth. His special relationship with the hyenas is not unique in Harar: despite these predators’ fearsome reputation, the local human population has a longstanding symbiotic relationship with the animals. This enchanting, hypnotic and poetic film connects the beautiful black-and-white shots of Yusuf and his hyenas with a poem by Elias Shagiz Adonay Tesfaye about suffering, loss and love. Hairat is based on the early memories of Mexican-Ethiopian director Jessica Beshir, who grew up in Harar and as a child particularly enjoyed seeing Yussuf feed the hyenas.