Let's Talk Movies
Let's Talk Movies
by Oladele Bello I first experienced C. J. “Fiery” Obasi’s Mami Wata during its limited nationwide release. It was the evening of September 23rd, 2023 at EbonyLife Cinemas, Victoria Island, Lagos, and I was immediately captivated by its stunning black-and-white visuals and…
Inside Life, is a groundbreaking new series that unveils the raw realities of life like never before. Scheduled to premiere in October, this dark and gripping drama promises to challenge perceptions and captivate audiences worldwide. Set against the stark backdrop…
The Directors statement “Tejiri” is a compelling film that delves into the intricacies of power, corruption, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Set against the backdrop of an average African society, the story revolves around Tejiri,…
CONVERSATIONS FROM THE PAST- Sara Forbes Bonetta & Efunorye Tinubu (CFTP-SFBAEF) imagine a conversation between two prominent women from Nigeria’s past: Efunroye Tinubu(Fadekemi Olumide Aluko), a wealthy merchant, aristocrat, and slave trader, and Sara Forbes Bonetta(Kuchi Chris), the Nigerian-born god-daughter…
Following two successful editions, the Film Rats Club proudly announces the return of its celebrated film festival, The Annual Film Mischief (TAFM) which will take place from October 10 to 12, 2024. The eagerly anticipated third edition will once again…
The first time I saw Mathew ‘Mao’ Adeboye’s film, tiny drops of tears invited itself to the corridor of my eyes. Having lost promising secondary school classmates to avoidable death and seen firsthand youth in my community lose their lives…
Nigerian filmmaker, ‘Chukwu Martin, credited with Mr Gbenga’s Hard Drive and We Are Not Men Anymore is following up his social-conscious creative expression with the release of Oga Mike. Written, directed, and produced by Martin, Oga Mike follows the story…
Ebuka Njoku, almost two years after it was released for general audiences, of his debut feature-length film, Yahoo+, made his second feature film, Uno: The F in Family. The title of his debut feature film and the subject matter it…
Film festivals are rich in cultural, philosophical, and ethical diversity. In Africa, there are several notable film festivals: prestigious biannual Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso, Zanzibar International Film Festival in Tanzania, The annual…
It’s hard to remember the last time I rewatched a Nigerian film I intended to review. Thanks to the shoddy quality of mainstream Nollywood productions, I pride myself in my innate ability to decipher, at a glance, the messaging of…
Emmanuel Igbekele Odihiri would introduce himself as a cinematographer based in Lagos Nigeria. Keen on traveling, Odihiri enjoys listening to music and meeting people. As he would describe himself, he’s “sometimes a photographer.” A graduate of Dramatic Arts, Obafemi Awolowo…
Film Rats Club, a community–focused group, is a gathering of circa 150 cinephiles across Nigeria. The club was founded as a space for Nigerian film enthusiasts and filmmakers. Without losing sight of its mission to educate, appreciate & document cinema,…
It was during a casual Cheesemonger editorial conversation that inspired this piece: How about we ask selected indie filmmakers to list their all-time favourite films? A tricky and dicey activity to engage in, I reached out to a few filmmakers…
The Film Rats Yellow is a community of Nigerian university students united in their love of films, whether as filmmakers or consumers. With this platform, Nigerian student filmmakers get to network, collaborate, share their wins and disappointments, learn from each…
There is something unorthodox and unusual about the origin of this interview piece. It started with a single initiative taken by Jeremiah John, the director of the short film, to share a link to his recent experimental short film on…
The Nigerian filmmaking cineaste called Nollywood witnessed some unprecedented achievements in 2023. From Editi Effiong-directed Black Book and Charles Okapaleke’s Blood Vessel which secured covetous on Netflix’sx global Top 10 list, to C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s monumental and culture-defining moments and…
It began as a trivial conversation. It was a follow-up discussion after a much-heated one had just ended. Their words occasionally filtered to where I was standing, discussing with friends. The most vocal among them kept saying words that bordered…
When art is said to stand the test of time, it simply means that despite the passage of time, such art will remain relevant to people’s way of life. This highlights the importance of encouraging constant conversations by the artists,…
The play PawPaw Palava was performed at the New Culture Studio on the 23rd of December 2023. The play is directed by Olawumi Ayodele & Emmanuel Orisumibare. I get uneasy anytime I’m about to see a stage play. I always…
This is an attempt to write about a film I had high expectations for, but with almost every Nollywood film we are reminded to lower those expectations so that we are not disappointed. However, with Breath of Life, I refused…
This is not our first conversation. Although my mind is transient, it’s the third conversation we will be having after I got familiar with the name: Yinusa A. Korede. Without lumping the, though casual and spontaneous, film-focused conversations together, here…
Covid-19 taught humans a new way of building intimacy. The compulsory incognito lifestyle that the death-inducing virus compelled humans to navigate, led to the building of virtual friendship and community. Reluctantly, the world moved, like characters from silent cinema pieces,…
Films find a way of drawing their audience into the world of the characters. This world, however, cannot be successfully created without the architects in the production design department. In Nollywood, Blue Adekunle is one of the architects who has…
Written by Francisca Eleyele and directed by ‘Chukwu Martin, Abe Ni is about one of the most dehumanizing cultural practices still rampant today: female genital mutilation. It refers to the cultural practice of removing whether in part or in whole,…
By the time you finish reading this piece, you might disagree with it. As humans with distinct cinematic tastes and cravings, disagreement over preference is constant. Listicles, of this nature, are conduits of personal obsession. As such, it falls prey…
Filmmakers are known to often wear multiple hats by working in many departments, from producing to directing. Emmanuel Izuoba is a Nollywood filmmaker who has had different roles since he started, and he does not plan to slow down any…
In the first scene of the 1596 play, The Merchant of Venice, one of the main characters, Antonio, likens the world to a stage: I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano;A stage where every man must play a…
It has been years — five or seven, I can’t recall, since I read TJ Benson’s Tea — a short story about two migrants whose only medium of communication, for a while, was their eyes, hands and other body parts.…
There is a popular saying that “a film is made three times: first in the screenplay, next in production and finally, in the edit”. Every film that was ever made was first created in the mind of the writer. A…
There is something visually and mentally appealing about Atoka’s opening scene. The scene is set and shot on a mountaintop, far from the bedlam of modernity. This scene later evolves into a poetic sequence that introduces the film’s major cast…
The second day of The Annual Film Mischief 2023 expands on the social consciousness of Day 1. Shooting the culture can also be described as stoking the embers of topics we like to run away from or think of as…
The idea of a festival dispatch is to summarize the proceedings of a day from the vantage point of a unifying theme. The search for a theme that makes sense of everything can be fun, but there’s always the danger…
It was a celebration of eclectic films at the just concluded 2nd edition of TAFM’23. The four-day festival, held physically across Accra, Abuja and Lagos, came to a close on Sunday, April 30th 2023 with Awaiting Trial – a documentary…
TAFM rolled out its signature black carpet on the 27th April 2023 in Lagos & Accra for its second edition. The Lagos festival kicked off at VIVA Cinemas, Ikeja (same venue as TAFM’22). Festival Director 1, Uche Chika Elumelu, delivered…
The short film JiSatsu is divided into three chapters. In Chapter One: Achlys titre class, we learn that our protagonist has N147 in his account balance and is in debt of N238,232. So, he attempts to drink poison in front…
April 3rd, 2023 Press Release On 27 April 2023, The Annual Film Mischief (TAFM) will return for its second Pan African edition. This year, our theme is #ShootTheCulture. This theme is a call to action for us to tell stories…
What’s an African story? Are they stories written in African dialects that carry generational knowledge and proverbs? Are they stories that revisit the fleeting but ever-present African past (Silverton Siege, African Queens: Njinga, Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu)? Perhaps…
Filmmaking is an intimate and collaborative creative medium. Filmmakers’ personalized interpretation and understanding of what motion pictures are come to the fore when you watch their films or have a conversation with them. For Adesola Oni, his anarchist filmmaking style…
Young independent filmmakers have been churning out diverse projects in the last few years. Thanks to social media and the increased use of easily accessible distribution channels like YouTube, new voices have the platforms to tell new stories that challenge…
“You’ll likely watch it more than once.” Joseph Osamudiamen ends with this phrase in his review of the film on whatkeptmeup.com. With sound penmanship, Joseph paints the picture so well that it’s impossible to make a copy. And I did…
Ebose Ehi-Bello’s The Day We Met opens with a family of three—a couple, Anthony and Cynthia, and their daughter, Hannah—having their morning prayers. When the couple begins cracking jokes with one another, it occurs to Hannah that she has never…
Impostor syndrome is the internal psychological experience of feeling like a phony in some area of your life, despite any success that you have achieved in that area. According to a recent KPMG study, seventy-five percent of executive women report…
The Griot is a tragic romance drama that follows the journeys of two friends, Sanmi and Lakunle. Lakunle is a smart yet timid weaver who feeds his audacious and assuming friend, Sanmi with stories that helps him gain popularity in…
I’ve been encumbered with the brutal task of trying to summarize the year for Nollywood in a couple of words. I could simply call it good or bad, slap on a block of decent prose to back my stance, and…
Jordan Peele has had a good five years. In 2017, the director released his first film Get Out, to waves of acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Most filmmakers can only dream of having an outing as profitable as the…
‘Chukwu Martin, credited with Oga Mike, Mr Gbenga’s Harddrive, and We Are Not Men Anymore, has added another to his social commentary films. Written and directed by ‘Chukwu Martin, produced by Atewo Media in collaboration with Sweet Potato Films. It…
On 14 November 2024, Accra Indie Filmfest(AiF), an annually held international film festival that has served as a haven for short film filmmakers, held, at Alliance Francaise, AiF Lagos Connect, an event organized to foster a relationship with the Nigerian…
When Gbenga Adeoti, the founder of Filmjoint, had the idea for Filmjoint and Filmjoint Awards, the mission was simple: creating a thriving market for short film filmmakers. Thus, over the years, the platform has premiered films from both local and…