Award-winning movie, Eyimofe, premieres today in Lagos

All is now set for today’s premiere of the award-winning movie, Eyimofe (This is My Desire), which recently returned to the country after a successful run at world’s top film festivals.
 
The Nigerian premiere is scheduled for Ebonylife Place, Victoria Island, Lagos. Red carpet starts at 5:00pm, while the screening is set for 7:00pm. A few days after, the film will open in cinemas, specifically on Friday, April 23.

GDN Studios, part of The Guardian Group, recently announced the premiere and cinema release of its debut film following an extensive tour of the global film festival circuit.

The film has been selected for festivals in 20 countries to date. These include, the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival 2020, where it had its world premiere; the British Film Institute’s London Film Festival and the American Film Institute (AFI) Film Festival. It has garnered several festival awards including ‘Winner, Best Fiction, New Filmmakers’ at the São Paulo International Film Festival (Brazil), and ‘Winner, Achille Valdata Award’ at the Torino Film Festival (Italy).

In the last one year, it has received rave reviews from international audiences, festival directors and critics for its outstanding effort at interrogating ‘illegal’ migration in the continent.

The movie takes an unflinching look at the pressures of everyday life in Nigeria; the desperate measures people take to survive, and the unrelenting desire to escape to a better life abroad, by whatever means. It traces the parallel lives of Mofe, a stoic electrician and part-time security guard, and Rosa, a struggling hairdresser, both trying to navigate illegal ways of fleeing the country.

According to Variety (USA), the film is “a clear-eyed portrait of a vibrant informed by two talented native sons”. The British Film Institute’s Sight & Sound called it a “stunning feature debut” and Frieze (UK) praised it as “an outstanding story of interwoven tales”. The Hollywood Reporter said it was “carefully observed and well-performed drama… a love-hate letter to a great and flawed city, from two talented young filmmakers.”

Arie and Chuko Esiri, brothers and co-directors of the feature film, in a statement to mark the film’s release, said: “Eyimofe is very special to both of us – not just because it’s our first full-length feature, but due to the amazing support we have received from the cast, crew, and a host of backers. We’re grateful to GDN Studios for allowing us to tell this touching story without compromising on production values and for helping to give the film the global exposure it has received. Audiences abroad have taken this movie to their hearts and we look forward to having Nigerians embrace it, even as they discuss some of the issues it raises about the human condition.”

According to executive producer, Toke Alex Ibru, the film has exceeded expectations. “We’ve been encouraged by the tremendous reception the film has received in London, Berlin, São Paolo (Brazil), Los Angeles and other cities. It’s really exciting to bring Eyimofe home to Nigeria and see how audiences react to seeing our lives portrayed on screen in such a realistic way.”