Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie opened a grand hotel, the Hilton Addis Ababa, at the end of Africa’s defining decade of the 1960s. It became a controversial symbol of both his hope for the future of Africa and self-aggrandisement. Settling into the hotel, Ruth Beckermann delves into Ethiopia’s past and present, navigating the familiar and the foreign, fact and fiction. As her quest for historical truth unfolds, an audit that is layered with contradictions, insight and enlightenment unfolds. Beckermann blends archival footage of the Emperor with present-day conversations and interviews at the hotel, and also integrates her own reflections as a European woman into the film. At the same time, she gives us a glimpse of contemporary life outside of the opulent hotel, where workers queue in long lines at bus stops and the skyline is marked by the skeletons of high-rise buildings awaiting completion.