The history of cinema in
Eritrea dates back to the country's
colonial rule under the Kingdom of Italy.[1][2] In connection with the growth of
Italian cinema in the 1930s, so too did the rise of cinema occur in
Asmara, Eritrea.[1] In 1937,
Asmara's Opera was converted into a dual-use theatre and cinema. By the following year, Asmara had a total of nine movie theatres.[1]
The Italian
missionary film was first introduced in a 1922 work produced in the country by
Capuchin monks collaborating with the colonial government.[3] Despite the country's independence, film screenings in Eritrea are mostly still confined to English and Italian language movies.[2]
Films like
Eva Nera [
it] were produced in Eritrea and shown the culture and differences between the Eritrean people. Directed by Giuliano Tomei, it was told through a viewpoint of
Domenico Meccoli.[4][5]
European influence continues to this day, such as "European Film Weeks", which have been held annually for the last 15 years.[6] Almost 100% of the films produced in Eritrea fall under the "Fiction" category.[7]
^
abcPlastow, Jane (29 June 2016). "Teatro Asmara: understanding Eritrean drama through a study of the national theatre". Journal of African Cultural Studies. 29 (3): 311–330.
doi:
10.1080/13696815.2016.1201759.
S2CID163365452.
^Piredda, Maria Francesca (2013). "Cinema and Popular Preaching: the Italian Missionary Film and Fiamme". In Bayman, Louis; Rigoletto, Sergio (eds.). Popular Italian Cinema. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 214–215.
ISBN978-0-230-30016-3.
Plastow, Jane (15 January 2009). "Theatre of Conflict in the Eritrean Independence Struggle". New Theatre Quarterly. 13 (50). Cambridge University Press: 144–154.
doi:
10.1017/S0266464X00011003.
Sherman, Richard (1980). "The Rise Of Eritrean Nationalism". Northeast African Studies. 2/3 (3/1): 121–129.
ISSN0740-9133.
JSTOR43660060.