“In the next five years, we see the Ibadan International Film Festival as a must-attend for both industry giants and budding filmmakers from within and outside the shores of Africa”. – Usman Olarotimi ‘Blackky’ Ogunlade.
By Seyi Lasisi
Now in its third year, the annual Ibadan International Film Festival (IIFF) took place in Ibadan, Nigeria, with the theme, “Cinema without Borders, Connecting Cultures through the Power of Film”.
Swerving from last year’s theme of “Think Local Shoot Global”, this year’s theme, curated films, post-screening conversations, and experts-taught masterclasses and workshops were geared towards positioning Nigerian filmmakers and festival attendees towards observing and familiarising themselves with cinematic trends within and outside Nollywood.
As in previous years, this year’s festival attracted filmmakers, actors, students, and other film enthusiasts to the three-day event, exposing participants to unique cinematic experiences. For cinephiles and industry experts wanting to immerse themselves in cinematic experiences that tilt away from mainstream offerings, the Ibadan International Film Festival, like well-programmed film festivals, was a space for discovery.
As noted in I and Hope Ibiale’s report from last year, the IIFF has created an avenue to nurture upcoming filmmakers, actors, and other valuable professionals in the film industry.
To this end, as shared by the festival organisers, the festival received over 3,000 entries. Just 23 of these films were selected to represent 14 countries for the 15 award categories of the festival. With the help of its five-person jury consisting of Niji Akanni as its head, Ehizojie Ojesebholo, Jemila Akinwale, Ropo Ewenla, and Joke Muyiwa as members, the festival nominated some of the selected film and filmmakers for various awards.
Selected Films at the Ibadan International Film Festival
Eirini Chatzikiriakidou’s Following the Traces of the Ephemeral is a documentary from Greece that follows the journey of creating theatrical costumes from the conception of the idea by the costume designer to the final construction by the dressmaker. Ramon Mascaros’ 1996 animation from Spain, in which a father reminisces about a past and buried childhood memory when he visited his childhood home with his daughter.
Pradyumna Nandesh Patil’s Blackhole is a deeply moving short film that talks in an equivocal tone about humans’ collective responsibility towards each other. Mickael Couturier’s The Art of Giving, from Indonesia, follows the story of a cook, an 8-year-old girl, and an artist who come together to help the trash picker kids of Bali, who live at the foot of a 40-metre-high trash mountain. “How do we frame poverty and not present a condescending and condemning look?” is the sole question that clouds my thoughts while the film is shown.
By the framing and flow of the narrative, one could easily detect that the filmmakers care for the story of the people, and the documentary isn’t being produced to attract cheap and unearned sensationalism.
Edgar Huebert’s The Last Sketch, an animation from Germany, is one of the technical and storytelling sound films at the festival. In this animation, an artist goes through a deep self-reflection while struggling to creatively express himself on his canvas. Posson François’s Gugusse is a comical and philosophical short animation about a gruff and lonely man who encounters a strange bird that makes his wait in traffic even more unbearable.
Abiodun Sikiru Makinde’s Flipside follows the story of a woman who grapples with fear of rejection, hidden behind the walls she’s built around herself. Mostafa Tanabandeh’s Pregnant from Iran might be ‘boring’ for certain viewers. But, as few people admitted during the post-screening conversation of the film, it’s one of the emotionally and technically engaging and relatable films in the festival. Shot in a single location, the film follows the story of several people in their attempt to escape the hardship of their home country illegally.
Umannu Elijah’s A Place Called Forward (Climate Change), situated in Port Harcourt, is, beyond its gloomy tone, an urgent call to action for Nigerian politicians, venture capitalists, and oil companies to stop the organised and state-sanctioned killing of Nigerian citizens through oil ridge and soot poisoning.
Daniel Omokhagbo Itegboje’s On Your Own (OYO) is a documentary about the daily and lived realities of a group of young boys in Benin. Although we collectively describe these boys as thugs, what the documentary does is humanises and empathise with these groups of boys. Arnold Mafo and Durotimi Okutagidi’s Ile Ayo (The Musical) follow the story of Maggie, a talented musician, who struggles with personal and professional challenges while confronting unresolved trauma from her past.
SD Dey’s Sada Kalo Prem: Love is Monochromatic from India is a completely well-written film that intertwines the lives of Monojit, his wife Alpona, and fictional characters Bokul and Titli, from Monojit’s novel, unfold in a series of dramatic twists. Karanja Ng’endo’s Last Supper from Kenya is a one-location short film that brings to the fore the mother and son having a difficult conversation around existential topics.
Matej Stepan’s The New Cardinal from the United States broaches a religious topic as we witness a moment in the life of a priest who wishes his identical twin brother wasn’t a pimp. Directed by Roope Sorvo from Finland, Headless follows a knight, with unique physical attributes, trying and struggling to conform to the realities of his society.
The best film I saw at the festival is T’egbon T’aburo (Siblings) directed by Orire Lucky Nwani. In this deeply emotional and metaphysical short film, two estranged sisters confront their past, dealing with grief, forgiveness, and family complexities in this emotional drama.
Winners from the IIFF
As in previous years, this year’s festival came to an end with the award ceremony to celebrate the best of the submissions. Tope Adedayo and Adedayo Tijani’s Jagun Jagun (The Warriror) emerged as Best Nigerian Film while clinching three other awards for Best Sound Design, Best Nigerian Actor (Lateef Adedimeji), and Best Nigerian Actress (Fathia Balogun).
Iranian director, Mostafa Tanabandeh, won the award for Best Directing, Best Cinematography, and International Feature Film. Scott Sophos’ from The New Cardinal took home the award for Best Actor, while Regina Cassandra’s performance in Flashback won her Best Actress.
While Itegboje’s On Your Own won Best Documentary, Jude won Best Short Film, Earthed won Best Animation, and Indian’s Sada Kalo Prem: Love is Monochromatic won Best Editing.
Screening of films and having intellectual and informed discussions around said films aside, the IIFF also featured various Masterclasses taught by experts in different fields. From Chris Ihindero’s class on Screenwriting for Film/TV, to Adebayo Sodiq’s session on Production Management for Film/TV, Aderemi Davies’s class on Documentary Filmmaking, Lattona Attoh’s legal session on Navigating Contracts and Agreements in the Entertainment Industry to Lekan Wasiudeen’s workshop on Monetising YouTube: Things You Need to Know.
Watching as participants enthusiastically scribble insights, information, and revelations as these sessions go on, one is consciously reminded of the importance of a training ground and accommodating mentors for young filmmakers finding their footing in the Nigerian film industry.
Somoye-Olaifa Oluwaferanmi Victor, a budding filmmaker and one of the festival attendees spoke with me about the importance of the festival and workshops to his artistry. Somoye-Olaifa mentioned how, after watching T’egbon T’aburo, he understood, again, why he wanted to pursue filmmaking as a career. “Honestly, after I got home, I had a shift in my mind. The feeling of, I can do it too. It wasn’t just my mind that was opened; my understanding was opened, too. I should attend more of this!”
Usman Olarotimi ‘Blackky’ Ogunlade, the festival director, spoke with me about the intention behind the curated masterclasses. The festival director mentioned that the masterclasses and workshops were curated in line with addressing current trends and developments within the Nigerian film industry.
“The festival consistently aims to address issues and interests concerning Filmmakers and content creators from time to time. We noticed that the Issue of law and Entertainment and YouTube Monetization is recurring so we felt it’s an opportunity to address and allow people to know and understand the nitty gritty and the dynamics.” As Blackky emphasised, “It’s our way of adding value to the ecosystem”.
The festival is in its third year. When I asked the director about the team’s future projection for IIFF, he said, “In the next five years, we see the Ibadan International Film Festival as a must-attend for both industry giants and budding filmmakers from within and outside the shores of Africa.”
Seyi Lasisi is a Nigerian creative with an obsessive interest in Nigerian and African films as an art form. His film criticism aspires to engage the subtle and obvious politics, sentiments, and opinions of the filmmaker to see how they align with reality. He tweets @SeyiVortex. Email: seyi.lasisi@afrocritik.com.