diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index d5eb565440..fbd749e5ab 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@ jobs:
       PYBIND11_VERSION: ${{matrix.pybind11_ver}}
       PYTHON_VERSION: ${{matrix.python_ver}}
       ABI_CHECK: ${{matrix.abi_check}}
+      USE_FFMPEG: 0
     steps:
       # Install nodejs 20 with glibc 2.17, to work around the face that the
       # GHA runners are insisting on a node version that is too new for the
diff --git a/src/build-scripts/gh-installdeps.bash b/src/build-scripts/gh-installdeps.bash
index 62d8509084..b1acc410a4 100755
--- a/src/build-scripts/gh-installdeps.bash
+++ b/src/build-scripts/gh-installdeps.bash
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ if [[ "$ASWF_ORG" != ""  ]] ; then
     if [[ "${USE_OPENCV}" != "0" ]] ; then
         time sudo yum install -y opencv opencv-devel || true
     fi
-    if [[ "${USE_FFMPEG}" != "0" ]] ; then
-        time sudo dnf install -y ffmpeg ffmpeg-devel || true
+    if [[ "${USE_FFMPEG:-1}" != "0" ]] ; then
+        time sudo dnf install -y ffmpeg ffmpeg-devel || (sleep 10 && echo "try 2" && time sudo dnf install -y ffmpeg ffmpeg-devel)
     fi
     if [[ "${USE_FREETYPE:-1}" != "0" ]] ; then
         time sudo yum install -y freetype freetype-devel || true