Eyimofe
2020 · Nigeria · 114 min
- Director
- Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri
What the critics say
100 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviewsCast
What it is about
Eyimofe unfolds in two chapters, each centred on a different character: Mofe, a factory technician, and Rosa, a hairdresser. Both dream of a better life on foreign shores, Mofe in Spain and Rosa in Italy. The film follows their efforts to reach that horizon in Lagos, the city where the whole story takes place.
How it was made
The project was announced by the twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri, who developed it together. It marked the directorial debut of both, and Chuko also wrote the screenplay. The film was funded entirely in Nigeria and shot on 16mm across 48 locations in Lagos, with some scenes filmed in New York. It received the 2018 Purple List Award and was chosen as one of ten projects at the 2019 IFP Narrative Lab.
Reception and legacy
Critics responded favourably. Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com gave it three and a half stars out of four and praised its own voice apart from neorealism, while Teju Cole, writing in The New Yorker, called it an artful and luminous film. It screened at festivals in 17 countries, including Berlin in 2020, and won the Achille Valdata Award at the Turin Film Festival in 2020.
Stills
Trivia
Shot on 16mm
The film was shot on 16mm, an unusual choice for a debut feature of its time. The shoot covered 48 different locations in Lagos.
Funded in Nigeria
The project was funded entirely in Nigeria, without foreign capital. That financial independence accompanied the brothers throughout development.
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