13 Months of Sunshine Born and raised in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Abeselom "Bobby" Yehdego Jr. arrived in the United States at the age of 18 and attended school in Boston MA, studying business management; however, driven by his dream to make movies, he moved to California to attend Chapman University, a private film school in Orange County. There he had an opportunity to direct and produce several short films, one of which received substantial acclaim and was nominated for best action drama at the Chapman Student Awards. Yehdego has taken advantage of working with companies such as Overview Management, Mandalay Entertainment, HBO films, NBC Productions, and Sony Pictures Television, just to name a few. Yehdego is a very visual director with an ability to visually say something in his films. Coming from another nation, cultural differences are in the forefront of Yehdego’s life. It is both his mission and passion to make films that cross borders and break barriers. Ethiopian director and writer Yehdego Abeselom and award-winning producers Jeremiah Lewis and Jeff Bartsch (2005 Progeny Festival Best Director, “Zero Sum,” 2004 Progeny Festival Third Place, “Mosquito Man,” 2008 168 Festival, Best Film, “Stained”) have already seen “13 Months of Sunshine”--their first feature film--premiere to critical success in Addis Ababa, becoming the first Ethiopian film to play alongside such Hollywood fare as “I Am Legend,” “Hitman,” “The Game Plan,” “10,000 B.C.” and “Enchanted.” 13 Months of Sunshine. 13 Months of Sunshine is the story of an Ethiopian man who marries a woman so she can get a green card and become a citizen of the United States. In exchange, her family pays him $20,000, enough to open up his own dream business--an authentic Ethiopian coffee house. During the year-long naturalization process, they must learn to live with each other, finding that the marriage of convenience becomes complicated through love, jealousy, and the clash of cultural values each must face in following their dreams. Hanna is a beautiful Ethiopian girl who is quickly drawn into the world of fashion. Meeting Morris Benton, a fashion agent specializing in Ethiopian models, Hanna learns that the world of modeling forces her to question her traditional values in the face of pressure to conform to American standards. The call of coffee, of fashion, and the unspoken desires of each character all collide in a colorful, comedic, and heartwarming tale that speaks both to the immigrant spirit and to the American dream. As Solomon and Hanna draw closer together they discover that life is filled with things that complicate and confuse them, and they must decide what is important. Currently 13 Months of Sunshine is playing in Theaters in Los Angeles, CA on a limited run capacity. Reviews and Reactions have been great! The Immigrant Magazine in North America says, “This film is here to stay.”
Charles Anchang, Vice President and CEO of the Immigrant Magazine calls it one of, “The Best African Movies…”
The Ethiopian American says "Yehdego Abeselom's...exploration of the American dream is anything but your traditional American story. It is uniquely Ethiopian American...This is a beautiful film, beautifully shot and directed. There is no doubt that Yehdego's "Thirteen Months of Sunshine" has set a new standard for Ethiopian films made in the US."
Capital Ethiopia says, "What 13 Months of Sunshine offers for Ethiopian audiences in its story based in Little Ethiopia found in the USA, is the real day to day life of Ethiopians there."
With carefully crafted and "very appealing scenes, it forces us to look to our traditions and blessings together with our treasure, coffee." -
13 Months of Sunshine is definitely a must see for the entire family. It enlightens and educates fellow Ethiopians living in Ethiopia about the US and Europe; the hardships and tribulations one could encounter abroad, it also gives hope to a generation of Ethiopian Americans and others living abroad, it shows that every Ethiopian community can still collectively come together and create a community as seen in the film, "Little Ethiopia" and remain close and hold on to a culture that runs deep in their blood just like the ancient traditions of coffee." - Sindeck Magazine
"13 Months of Sunshine, based on a true story, is about an Ethiopian woman who marries an Ethiopian man -- already a U.S. citizen -- so that she can get her green card. The naturalization process takes a year, during which the marriage of convenience blossoms into something more, etc., etc. Just like What Happens in Vegas, only, you know, not stupid.” http://www.cinematical.com/ Website." www.myspace.com/13monthsofsunshine
Interests
Basketball, Swimming, Hangin out with Friends, Traveling, writing, also I enjoy Painting during my Free time...check out some of the Art Work Below......
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