A large-canvas story told on a basic human scale, Made In Ethiopia is a textbook example of how to take an overwhelming topic and make it engrossing, informative, and cinematic.

The topic is China’s investment in Africa, specifically a mind-bogglingly gigantic factory complex that China is building in Ethiopia. The film follows the progress of this plan through the eyes of three women: Chinese factory manager Motto Ma; the young Ethiopian factory worker Beti; and Workinesh, an Ethiopian farmer whose family is displaced by the project.

These three strong personalities anchor the film, showing how different people can believe wildly different things. Motto thinks her factory is the only path that will lead to modernization in Ethiopia and that her factory workers are all grateful for it, yet Beti’s experience of thwarted expectations is 180 degrees apart from Motto’s beliefs. These divergent dreams and desires form a complex reality, both for the individuals involved and the country in which they live. ~SM

After the film, there is an in-person Q&A with director Xinyan Yu.