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Wax & Gold

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Opened at the cusp of Africa's defining 1960s by the controversial Emperor Haile Selassie, the Hilton Addis Ababa today stands as a grand hotel much like any other. Staying in the hotel in Ethiopia's sprawling capital, Ruth Beckermann delves into the country's thorny past and present, navigating between the familiar and the foreign, fact and fiction. As her search for historical truth unfolds--layered with contradictions--she blends archival footage featuring the Emperor with present-day conversations inside the hotel and her own reflections as a European woman. Outside, meanwhile, the hotel's opulence starkly contrasts with the city's unvarnished reality: queues of workers stretch for meters at bus stops, while the skeletons of high-rises await future development.

Critics Reviews

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Violeta Kovacsics Otroscines.com 10h
4/5
Wax & Gold reflects on the history and present of Ethiopia through a decidedly Bourdieusian lens... [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Ruth Beckermann

Director

Ruth Beckermann

Screenwriter

Ruth Beckermann

Producer

Johannes Hammel

Cinematographer

Dieter Pichler

Film Editor
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Wax & Gold

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Movie Info

Synopsis Opened at the cusp of Africa's defining 1960s by the controversial Emperor Haile Selassie, the Hilton Addis Ababa today stands as a grand hotel much like any other. Staying in the hotel in Ethiopia's sprawling capital, Ruth Beckermann delves into the country's thorny past and present, navigating between the familiar and the foreign, fact and fiction. As her search for historical truth unfolds--layered with contradictions--she blends archival footage featuring the Emperor with present-day conversations inside the hotel and her own reflections as a European woman. Outside, meanwhile, the hotel's opulence starkly contrasts with the city's unvarnished reality: queues of workers stretch for meters at bus stops, while the skeletons of high-rises await future development.
Director
Ruth Beckermann
Producer
Ruth Beckermann
Screenwriter
Ruth Beckermann
Production Co
Ruth Beckermann Filmproduktion
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
German
Runtime
1h 37m