Iren… filmmaker changing lives through stories

From being a journalist, Laju Iren has transformed into an impactful filmmaker and author, touching lives with her Illuminating narratives.

On her passion for filmmaking, the Laju Iren Films boss said, “I have always wanted to be a filmmaker, but it was towards the end of 2019 that I decided that I was really going to get it done in 2020 because I really wanted to tell the kind of stories that I wanted to watch.”

She continued: “Many times, the stories out there don’t always have the values I want to put out to the world. They don’t have the values I want to teach people, and like I always say, stories change our minds by targeting our hearts. I’m in the business of changing minds. I want people to be entertained, and educated, but not in a way that corrupts. I want people to smile and laugh and learn things when watching films, but not in the way that contaminates our minds.”

The journalists turned filmmaker said she’s determined to produce works that will help individuals and the society at large.

“I wanted to make those kinds of films because there is not much of that out there. Of course, lots of people are doing lots of work around that; I actually wanted to contribute to that. You can tell good stories without people being naked; you can tell good stories without all the swear words. You can tell really great good stories that teach values and the right things. That’s why I became a filmmaker,” she declared.

Iren, who has made flicks such as During Ever After, Love is a star and Nigerian Son also revealed some of her giant strides so far.

“I have many high points in my career. I don’t even know where to start, especially in the year 2020. My mini-series, During Ever After, has about 100,000 combined views on my YouTube channel right now. My film, Nigerian Son, was featured in a number of International Film Festivals. I had all my books on Okada Books bestseller list at the same time; one of my books was the most widely read book in 2020. It was number six overall in 2019, but became number one in 2020. I think despite all this, I’m most grateful to have changed lives with the stories I tell, and to do what God will have me do per time.”