Mesfin Abebe

I was born in Addis, the capital city of Ethiopia. I lived there with my four brothers and two sisters.

We had a modern house and had a goat for a pet, that behaved much like a dog. Some of my childhood experiences you witness in the film. 

When I became a young adult, I was forced to leave Ethiopia for political reasons. I first was in Sweden where I built a life there, with my wife and three children. Eventually, we were able to settle in the UK, this is where my life is now. I have had many jobs from mini cab driver, bus driver, electronic engineer, running my own businesses….

During COVID I opened a Vegan Restaurant. Denise was my first customer. Denise spent a lot of her time eating and working from the space and we talked a lot, I shared many of my childhood stories of which Denise kept saying ‘that would make a great film..’ this is where Shoes was born.