After spending seven years abroad navigating homelessness, financial hardship and personal setbacks in pursuit of a creative career, Nigerian filmmaker and writer Basil Romanco has returned home to launch an independent arthouse filmmaking initiative centred on African storytelling.

Romanco, founder of Enitayefe Arthouse, is currently producing his debut feature film, Please Don’t Take My Sunshine Away, a psychological drama that explores themes of power, identity, truth and the complexities of contemporary African society.

The project marks the first major production from Enitayefe Arthouse, an independent creative platform through which Romanco hopes to develop films, literary works, stage productions and public engagements rooted in authentic African experiences.

His return follows a difficult period spent in Europe, where he says he sacrificed financial security in pursuit of his artistic ambitions.

Details of that journey are contained in an autobiographical essay, Please Don’t Take My Sunshine Away, which has been submitted to literary publications including Granta and The Republic. In the essay, Romanco recounts periods of homelessness after losing stable accommodation, abandoning a corporate career and relying on writing, public speaking and book sales to survive while pursuing filmmaking full-time.

“The fire of my motivation had already been killed by the severe winter season, and all I had was the discipline in my art and the willingness to pay the price for whatever it is the universe had put in my heart to suffer for,” he wrote.

Despite the setbacks, Romanco said he remained committed to returning to Nigeria to build an independent filmmaking platform outside the traditional commercial structure of the country’s movie industry.

That determination was tested again shortly after his return.

While travelling to Ilesa, Osun State, to audition actors for the film, a truck reportedly struck his vehicle from behind, forcing it off the road and into a ditch.

Rather than abandon the trip, he repaired the damaged vehicle and continued the journey.

“I could not change my mind. The decisions had already been made, and I must follow that road forward and find out where it leads,” he said.

At the heart of Please Don’t Take My Sunshine Away is Dara, a farm labourer whose dream-like experiences become a vehicle for examining exploitation, power, social conditioning and personal freedom.

According to Romanco, the film seeks to move beyond conventional portrayals of hardship by encouraging audiences to reflect on the structures that shape society and the shared responsibility for confronting injustice.

The filmmaker also revealed that the lead role emerged from an unexpected discovery during the casting process.

While visiting a university campus in Ilesa, he met Chisom, a student with no previous acting experience, whom he invited to audition for the role of Dara. Although she initially withdrew from the project, she later agreed to participate after further discussions.

“There are indeed gems in rubbles, and when you find the gems, because they are used to being in rubbles, they will quickly deny that they are gems,” Romanco said.

Beyond the debut feature, Enitayefe Arthouse is intended to serve as a long-term creative platform dedicated to producing independently funded African stories that challenge audiences intellectually while remaining deeply rooted in local experiences.

With production now underway on Please Don’t Take My Sunshine Away, Romanco believes the challenges he has faced have only strengthened his resolve to pursue his artistic calling.

“If a person has been called to do something, they do it or they die. There is no way out, and nowhere else waits for them,” he said.

The film is currently in production and is expected to become the first major release under the Enitayefe Arthouse banner.