Programs Film at The Africa Center - Know Your Place

Join us at The Africa Center on Thursday, November 14th at 7:00PM ET for Film at The Africa Center screening of Know Your Place.

Know Your Place is a slice-of-life drama set in present-day Seattle. Robel (a 15-year-old Eritrean-American) and his best friend, Ethiopian-American Fahmi, embark on a journey to drop off a suitcase containing medicine and cash with a friend traveling back to Eritrea because of a family member’s sudden illness. An unexpected turn transmutes Robel’s simple errand into an odyssey across the rapidly gentrifying city; in the process he navigates directions to make his delivery on time, along with the challenges of familial responsibility, self-identification, and dislocation amid the ongoing redevelopment and displacement of the only community he’s ever known as home. 

In partnership with the African Film Festival, Film at The Africa Center showcases a selection of films by emerging African filmmakers. These films reflect a range of genres, themes, and visual styles, allowing audiences to experience the vibrant tapestry of African cinema.

About the Director:

Zia Mohajerjasbi is an Iranian-American filmmaker from Seattle, a city that has served as the primary focus of his work. He has directed acclaimed music videos for Macklemore, Blue Scholars, Jake One and Common Market, as well as a 2007 mockumentary short with New-York based standup comedian Hari Kondabolu, Manoj. In 2009, Zia became the youngest winner ever of the “Genius Award,” presented by The Stranger, a Seattle weekly. In 2015, he wrote and directed the award-winning narrative short Hagereseb, and is also the cinematographer and director of an ongoing storytelling series, The Charcoal Sky. Know Your Place, which Zia wrote and directed, was shot on location in Seattle and is his debut feature film.