Nollywood Filmmaker Ike Nnaebue sent words from Berlinale and it was the good news that the documentary film, which he helmed, No U-Turn, received ‘honourable Special mention’ at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival, which draws to a close officially on Sunday.
For those who are knowledgeable about festivals and recognitions, an honourable mention is as good as a win and Ike Nnaebue is excited that the documentary, a Nigeria, South Africa, France and Germany co-production, which screened on Monday, February 14, at Panorama’s main Premiere Cinema—Zoo Palast 1 Berlin, has received rave reviews from all over.
“My People, the reviews from the festival have been so surreal. Thank you all for the support,” was Nnaebue’s terse response on Filmic, the prestigious WhatsApp group for filmmakers and allied professionals.
No U-Turn is one of the 29 films from 33 countries that screened at the documentary Panorama programme of Berlinale 2022. Commissioned by ARTE, funded by WFC, Ile de France and CNC and co-produced by Elda Productions (France), Passion8 Communications Limited (Nigeria) and STEPS (South Africa), No U-Turn sees director Ike Nnaebue on a cinematic journey retracing his steps from Lagos to Tangier, the continent-traversing route he first travelled as a teenager in hope of a better life. Along the way, he draws a multinational and multilingual portrait of African migration.
Nnaebue’s No U-Turn, which had a Danish-born Nigerian Jide Akinleminu as Director of Photography, is one of the three documentaries from Sub-Saharan Africa with a focus on Migration, Revolution and the Future. The other documentaries are No Simple Way Home by Akuol de Mabior from South Sudan and Nous, Etudiants! (We students!) by Rafiki Fariala from the Central African Republic. Both countries are being represented with a film at the Berlinale for the first time. Nigeria was represented last year with Eyimofe, the film by GDN Studios.
