Eyimofe selected for Black Movie Festival in Geneva

It is now confirmed that Nigerian feature film Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) will screen at this year’s Black Movie International Film Festival in Geneva. This is coming after the earlier selection of the film in the World Panorama section of the 51st edition of India’s biggest festival, The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) for 2021.

Billed to open on January 22 and run through January 31, 2021, a jury of international cinema critics choose their favorite feature length film amongst a selection of the most innovative films screened during the festival for the Critic’s Award. The awarded film wins a prize of 5,000 Swiss francs given by the Town of Geneva.

There’s also the Young people’s Jury, where young people from all of Geneva’s college pupils, choose their favorite film amongst a selection of films adapted to their age (17-19 year olds). The awarded film receives a prize of 1,000 Swiss francs.

Emerging in 1991 out of a desire to present films made in Africa, a multidisciplinary and artistic event until 1998, the Black Movie Festival shifted its focus in 1999 at the instigation of new management.

Faithful to its initial vocation of promoting films shaped by realities and imaginary realities other than those familiar in the Western world and echoing the multiculturalism that characterises Geneva, the festival widens its horizons to films from the three so-called ‘Southern’ continents: Africa, Asia and Latin America. Guided by new management.

In its choice of films, Black Movie favours auteur cinema, as well as independent or unusually formatted films that are rarely, or not at all, shown in Swiss movie theaters. The aim is to harmonize with contemporary cinematography, anchored in today’s social and esthetic realities, and to develop as yet unpublished and innovative programming.

Committed to the defense of Asian, African, Middle Eastern and South American films, the Black Movie Festival has offered film-lovers in Geneva and French-speaking Switzerland an opportunity to discover the films of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jia Zhangke, Carlos Reygadas, Wang Bing, Hong Sangsoo, Takashi Miike, Tsai Ming-Liang and João Pedro Rodrigues – for the first time. Most of those film directors, now winning kudos and prizes at the world’s most prestigious film festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Busan, Toronto, Rotterdam…), were there in person when their films were being screened at Black Movie.

Set in Lagos, Nigeria, Eyimofe, winner of the Torino International Film Festival’s Achille Valdata Award in Italy, is a two-chapter film that follows the stories of Mofe (Jude Akuwudike), a factory technician, and Rosa (Temi Ami-Williams), a hairdresser, on their quest for what they believe will be a better life on foreign Shores.

Presented by GDN Studios, directed by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri and produced by Melissa Adeyemo, the production was funded entirely in Nigeria, shot on 16mm and filmed across 48 locations in Lagos. Executive Producers include Maiden Alex Ibru, Toke Alex Ibru, Olorogun Oskar Ibru, Kayode Akindele and Ifeoma Esiri.
  
Since its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival last year, the film has been selected for different international festivals, including Indie Lisboa International Film Festival in Portugal, BFI London Film Festival in the UK, Mostra Sao Paolo International Film Festival in Brazil, Cinecitta International Film Festival (CIFF) in the Netherlands, Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain, The Viennale in Austria, Sharjah Film Platform festival in UAE, Vancouver International Film Festival in Canada, AFI Film Festival in the USA, Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece, New Horizons International Film Festival in Poland, Torino Film Festival in Italy, Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIFF) in China and Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) in Egypt.
   
Now, with the recent festival selections in France, India and Geneva, Eyimofe has been exposed to festival audiences in 18 countries – representing Nigeria everywhere it travels to.For more information, please visit: www.eyimofe.film / www.gdnstudios.ng