The Science Film Festival Ethiopia 2025 marked its sixth edition and took place from 9 October to 20 December across Addis Ababa, Debre Berhan, Gondar, and Dire Dawa, reaching 2,348 participants through screenings at 24 public, private, and international schools. The festival also featured for the fourth consecutive year at the Juba Film Festival in South Sudan, reaching an additional 773 viewers. A key milestone in 2025 was the inclusion of three original Ethiopian science films within the official selection of more than 30 titles, with 15 films dubbed into Amharic to improve accessibility, particularly for early learners. The program also inspired students in several schools to experiment with producing their own short science films during the festival period, strengthening local engagement with science storytelling.
To further expand inclusivity, screenings were organized at China Camp, a site for internally displaced people in Debre Berhan, where more than 500 children participated with strong enthusiasm despite limited resources. Dire Dawa also stood out for high engagement, with participating schools emphasizing the value of interactive teaching and learning formats, while PASCH schools in Addis Ababa and Gondar continued their consistent participation. The festival concluded on 19 December with a Science Fair at the Goethe-Institut, bringing together 13 schools to present student projects and showcasing contributions from partner institutions in fields such as animation, gaming, architectural design, and urban planning. Highlights included student-made bioplastic sheets created from Enset (False Banana) starch. Despite logistical challenges and new regulations affecting extracurricular activities, the 2025 edition was one of the festival’s strongest to date, establishing new partnerships and reinforcing its role as a platform for science, creativity, and sustainability in Ethiopia and beyond.
