Chioma Onyenwe: Being female shapes my storytelling

Being female shapes my storytelling
Chioma Onyenwe is a filmmaker, director and CEO of Raconteur Productions, a film production company. She is also the Programme Coordinator for the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF). In this interview, she speaks on her debut film 8 Bars and a Clef, which has been nominated for Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).

How much of personal emotion was invested in the production of the 8 Bars and a Clef?
Making 8 Bars & A Clef took a lot out of me; I had so much to say with this film. Some of it hit close to home as I have a cousin with dyslexia and it is just one of those things we never seem to talk about at all. Every step of the way from script to screen I had to invest all of myself.

Is the movie a biopic or mere reflection of society’s disposition towards people with disability?
8 Bars & A Clef is not a biopic, Victor E is entirely fictional but it’s interesting that a lot of people can relate to the character because he is real. The movie highlights a learning disorder – dyslexia but it’s about much more than society’s disposition to it. It’s a story of self-actualization; Victor E’s story defines success beyond wealth.

I actually came up with the story myself, I wanted to talk about the fact that people who are intelligent in ways that are different from what we define as normal are not accepted and I also wanted to situate that story within the music industry as it seemed to be the norm that anyone who didn’t do well in school had to drop out and go into music because the society celebrates wealth over purpose.

I got a scriptwriter Adeyemi Ayoyemi to flesh it out into a script and then I worked on the final draft with Jude Idada before going into production.

How is the movie different from other things you have done, especially compared to Goddammit It’s Monday?
Making a feature is very different from making a short. Goddammit It’s Monday (GIM) was a labour of love all around, it was shot in 3 days with friends and family who were just excited about the possibilities. I had to write a business plan before even embarking on 8 Bars & A Clef, from sourcing financing to getting established actors so the film will be able to sell in cinemas. Also technically GIM was just going to go online for free so I didn’t have the same quality control measures I had to ensure for 8 bars & A Clef.

This is your first feature movie, what were the things you have learnt since the beginning of the production and now that the movie is set to hit the cinemas?
I have learnt so many things since embarking on this project from planning to execution. From working with actors to how the distribution structure in Nigeria works. As a producer and a director, it was an invaluable experience.

What would you do differently if you were to start the same production again?
There are so many things on hindsight that I would have done differently but I’m glad it played out exactly as it did because it enabled me to learn what to do for my next feature but more importantly what not to do.

Does your being a woman have any relationship/impact on the movie – either direct or indirect?
The issues addressed in 8 bars & A Clef are not gender specific, a dysfunctional family, a learning disorder, rediscovering self, redefining success. It’s a movie for everyone. Being a female filmmaker definitely influenced my style of storytelling, as it is my voice.