SCRIPT:
Jessica Beshir

PHOTOGRAPHY:
Jessica Beshir

EDITING:
Jeanne Applegate,
Dustin Waldman

Synopsis:

Ethiopian legend has it that khat, a stimulant green leaf, was found by Sufi Imams in search of eternity. Inspired by this myth, Faya Dayi is a spiritual journey into the highlands of Harar immersed in the rituals of khat, a stimulant green leaf that for centuries Sufi Muslims chewed for religious meditations and has become Ethiopia’s most lucrative cash crop today. Through the prism of the khat trade, Faya Dayi weaves a tapestry of intimate stories of people caught between violent government repression, khat-induced fantasies and treacherous journeys beyond their borders, and offers a window into the dreams of the youth hunted by a repressive regime.

b/w, DCP, 120’