Two short films— Her Perfect Life and Iyawo Mi— directed by respected Media Mogul Mosunmola Abudu or Mo Abudu for short, will premiere at the 21st edition of the Martha Vineyard African American Film Festival.
Scheduled to hold as from August 4 through to August 12, the invitation for Abudu’s directorial debut to screen at the festival is a big start and a huge win for the content Amazon, considering that the festival is reputed as one of the most respected Black film festivals in the U.S and also an Oscar qualifying festival. The two shorts that address mental health issues will also be showcased at the Cannes Short Film Corner later this month.
Iyawo Mi, which stars notable actors such as Lateef Adedimeji, Bolaji Ogunmola and Segun Arinze in leading roles, tells the story of Kunle, a young married man who lives in impoverished downtown Lagos. He returns home one evening to find his wife Eniola appears to be hallucinating, and the film explores the tragic consequences that ensue.
Pearl Thusi, Joseph Benjamin and Omowunmi Dada are the leading actors in the second short Her Perfect Life, which portrays the story of a woman, Onajite Johnson Ibrahim, who is envied by everyone in Lagos, but wants to end it all.
“I am thrilled and honored to have both of my short films selected to screen at the prestigious Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, an important festival for Black film and Black perspective,” Abudu said in reaction to the news of the invitation of both films, the first from her new stable—Mo Abudu Films.
“This recognition means a lot to me as a filmmaker and as a storyteller. The Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival is a platform that amplifies the voices and perspectives of Black filmmakers and I am grateful for the opportunity to feature my work there,’’ Abudu added.
Abudu is the production force behind highly successful and critically acclaimed movie productions such as The Wedding Party, Fifty, which was the only Nigerian film selected to screen at the 59th BFI London Film Festival in 2015, Royal Hibiscus Hotel, which screened at Toronto International Film Festival, Oloture and the epic movie Elesin Oba (King Horseman), an adaptation of Wole Soyinka most performed play ‘Death and The King Horseman’ as directed by Biyi Bandele, and which screened at the 2022 edition of the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
