Eyimofe to screen at Brazil’s Mostra Film Festival

NIGERIAN feature film, Eyimofe (This is my desire) has been listed for this year’s São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil, also known internationally as Mostra. This is a follow up to its recent screening at the BFI London Film Festival to mark Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary. Eyimofe, which had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in February, is also billed to celebrate its U.S premiere at the AFI Fest on October 20.

A non-profit event, the festival, which is organised by ABMIC (Associação Brasileira Mostra Internacional de Cinema), was created in 1977 when film critic Leon Cakoff decided to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP).

The head of the museum’s film department, Cakoff had already organised successful screenings of rare foreign films during the 1970s. These pre-festival screenings had a large audience turnout, including films that came without Portuguese subtitles and sometimes with no translation at all, proving the strength of the city’s cultural demand.

The 1st São Paulo International Film Festival included 16 feature films and 7 shorts, representing 17 countries in total. Consisting of 40 screenings at the MASP’s Grand Auditorium, the first edition inaugurated the Audience Prize, with members of the audience voting for the best picture, a ritual that has been followed ever since.

Presented by GDN Studios, the 114 minutes film was directed by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri and produced by Melissa Adeyemo. It features the likes of Jude Akuwudike, Tomiwa Edun, Temi Ami-Williams, Cynthia Ebijie, Sadiq Daba, Tomiwa Edun, Jacobs Alexander, Chioma ‘Chigul’ Omeruah and others. Executive Producers include Maiden Alex Ibru, Toke Alex Ibru, Olorogun Oskar Ibru, Kayode Akindele, Ifeoma Esiri

Funded entirely in Nigeria and shot in 16mm and filmed across 48 locations in Lagos, the drama 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.

A passport, photos and a visa form recurring elements. The characters’ misfortunes are part of their everyday life and they are sketching out the need to leave Nigeria at the same time. At the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, status, money, gender, skin colour and family structures are inextricably connected. The longing for another life is but one thread in this complex mesh, a promise that floats above things at once near and far away.

Meanwhile, Eyimofe is the 2020 official selection for Vancouver International Film Festival, an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia.