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From the filmmakers of Sankofa, and Adwa: An African Victory
For several decades, independent Filmmaker Haile Gerima has recorded personal accounts of resistance fighters and documented stories of patriot elders who were first-hand witnesses of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
Under the Fascist leadership of Mussolini, they all congregated in Rome, mainly emphasizing avenging the humiliating defeat by black people. The idea was undoubtedly to re-paint that humiliation.
Dejazmach Zewde
Haile Gerima's extensive research for Black Lions, Roman Wolves brings to light extraordinary images and little-known historical footage that weaves together memories of the war with age-old folklore, war chants, and praise poetry, contouring the communal trauma of the invasion while capturing the collective spirit of resistance that ensured Ethiopia’s victory and enduring independence.
Synopsis
Black Lions, Roman Wolves is a five-part documentary about Ethiopia’s decisive anti-colonial victory against Italy’s second invasion in 1935, a punitive expedition designed to revenge her defeat at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.
Nestled between majestic mountains in the north, the town of Adwa was the site of this battle that called upon young and old to stand firm and withstand the onslaught of modern weaponry and the rain of mustard gas to defend Ethiopia’s sovereignty.
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Black Lions, Roman Wolves links these two invasions through collective memory and generational stories, threading themes of resistance, survival, and hope imparted through warnings about the imminent return of Italians by warriors of the Battle of Adwa to their children.
Just by releasing bees from the hives, we could sweep the white men; they all ran when stung by the honeybees, throwing their rifles behind…. That was it… we deliberately provoked the bees to sting the white men... that was when the Italians ran away… that was when we confronted them. It was how we got through those turbulent five years.
Weyzero Askal
Tax deductible donations can be made to Positive Productions, Inc. (PPI), a 501 (c) (3) non-profit dedicated to the development of black independent filmmaking.
As a non-profit fiscal sponsor for this film, PPI will accept tax-deductible donations on behalf of the production company, Negod Gwad Productions.
Support today by making a tax-deductible donation towards final completion costs of Black Lions, Roman Wolves, the 5-part, 10-hour-plus documentary film by Haile Gerima.
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