FAYA DAYI

FAYA DAYI

Using khat, a stimulant leaf chewed by Sufi Imams seeking eternity, as a connecting thread, Faya Dayi takes us on an ethereal journey through Harar, Ethiopia, dipping into the lives of its Oromo denizens as we follow the crop from harvest to consumption. In this hypnotic tribute to the beauty of the land of her birth and its people, director Jessica Beshir weaves together a poetic, languidly paced film of sumptuous black-and-white cinematography draped over the intimate musings of those whose lives are touched by the hallucinogenic crop. Celebrated on the festival circuit, this entrancing film heralds Beshir as a filmmaker to watch.  

-Courtesy of Janus Films.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with Director Jessica Beshir .

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Director: Jessica Beshir
Executive Producer: Jessica Beshir, Tony Hsieh, Roberto Grande, Mimi Pham, Bryn Mooser, Kathryn Everett, Rhianon Jones, Matthew Petock, Daniel Patrick, Zachary Shedd
Producer: Jessica Beshir
Writer: Jessica Beshir
Cinematographer: Jessica Beshir
Editor: Jeanne Applegate, Dustin Waldman
Music: William Baskinski, Adrian Aniol, Kaethe Hostetter, Mehandis Geleto
Language: Amharic, Harari, Oromo
Country: Ethiopia, USA, Qatar
Year: 2021
Publicist: Cinetic
US Distributor: Janus Films