Tezeta | Trailer - Armenian Film Festival Australia 202

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Description

9th Edition of the Armenian Film Festival Australia returns to Sydney and Melbourne from 8-31 August 2025. Find out more at
https://www.armenianfilmfestival.com.au

TEZETA is an eye-opening documentary that uncovers the Armenian roots in Ethiopian musical culture. It tells the story of a small community of Armenians in Addis Ababa and their significant contributions. With the unexpected royal adoption of 40 Armenian orphans from Jerusalem by Emperor Haile Selassie and their role as the first Ethiopian imperial band, these orphans would make way for the popularisation of brass instruments and the composition of Ethiopia's first national anthem by Kevork Nalbandian. The film highlights the jazz revolution led by his nephew Nerses, which swept the country before facing strict censorship under the communist Derg regime.

Told through first-hand accounts with Ethiopian jazz greats such as Alemayehu Eshete, Mulatu Astatke, Girum Mezmur, as well as Sammy Yirga and while following Vahé, the only performing Ethiopian-Armenian singer / musician in Addis Ababa, TEZETA is a melodic journey through Ethiopia's forgotten musical history, revealing a golden era lost to memory.

Documentary | 139 min | 2024 | Ethiopia, Armenia | Dir: Aramazt Kalayjian, Garegin Papoyan | PG | English, Amharic, Armenian with English subtitles