“My vision is to change global societal and health outcomes through storytelling – Itegboje Daniel.
By Seyi Lasisi
The first time I encountered Itegboje Daniel was when I watched his documentary at the annual iRep International Documentary Film Festival held in Lagos four months ago. Daniel’s award-winning film, On Your Own (aptly abbreviated as OYO), was one of the captivating titles curated by the festival organisers. Even after finishing the documentary, images of the Elema boys (a local term for homeless individuals in Benin City) continue to linger in my mind.
In writing about the documentary, I noted how, despite depicting the lives of boys labelled as violent and erratic, Daniel’s film—created in collaboration with his decade-long creative partners—highlights the strong bond among the Elema boys. Thus, after watching OYO and crafting a seven-sentence review of this empathetic documentary, Itegboje Daniel, as a filmmaker, felt familiar. However, his personal life and how it seamlessly intertwines with his work as a director and cinematographer were not apparent until I spoke with him.
Growing up in a family that supported and encouraged his unique childhood pursuits, he began his artistic journey playing the guitar for church bands. By learning to match emotions with plucked chords, he aimed to play for bands like The Cavemen and Alternate Sound. Beyond this, listening to and playing music helped him tap into his philosophical side.
As he grew older, Itegboje Daniel’s talent for reflecting on human emotions deepened, and film—particularly documentary filmmaking—became his chosen medium for expression. “I became obsessed with conveying raw human emotion through filmmaking, and I continue to push the boundaries of how much human emotion and philosophy I can express through film”.
Convinced of his passion for filmmaking, choosing a medium for self-expression became easier for Itegboje Daniel. While acting has its glamour, he was captivated by directing and cinematography’s ability to create and recreate worlds. Enchanted by their capacity to bring unseen and imagined realms to life, directing and cinematography became his primary creative outlets.
Having been exposed to his brothers, David and Emmanuel King Itegboje, who are professional photographers adept in using photography to tell stories, Itegboje Daniel subconsciously decided to be a cinematographer. “The idea of showing worlds and emotions through moving images is incredibly fascinating to me and is what particularly drew me to cinematography”.
Until recently, documentary filmmaking appeared to be the playground for aged filmmakers. Due to its supposed ‘boredom’ and facts presentation, documentary filmmaking doesn’t seem to be what I imagined young and emerging filmmakers dabble in. But, as young documentary filmmakers like Daniel and Asmae El Moudir (credited with Mother of All Lies), Milisuthando Bongela (credited with Milisuthando), and others have shown with their dramatised documentary, documentary filmmaking isn’t the haven for aged filmmakers. Nor is it the sanctuary for dumping just factual stories.
Documentary, in the hands of a skilled filmmaker, is a medium for creative expression and storytelling. Itegboje Daniel, in his passion-laden voice, explained what attracted him to documentary filmmaking. He mentioned how fascinated and obsessed he is with interpreting human emotions through film. As we spoke, it became obvious that he is interested in bringing people’s experiences and mindsets to life through documentaries. The documentaries he has directed over the years prove this.
Itegboje Daniel is telling empowering stories
In Itegboje Daniel’s telling of OYO, a group of young boys confronting a harsh reality are still learning to preserve their hope and dream of a future. While society believes the boys are on their own, the familial-like bond among them proves otherwise. The boys, with their regimented and hierarchical lifestyle, rely on each other for comfort, advice, and support.
As the documentary progresses, what becomes clear is this: the boys, like everyone, are seeking survival in our fast-paced, deeply troubled, and commercialised world. In The Journey to Joy, a short documentary about two couples living with physical disabilities, Daniel’s interest in humanising and empathising with his subjects guides his craft and storytelling.
Although his subjects’ lived experiences might be disturbing and tear-inducing for viewers, Daniel swiftly directs their attention and consciousness away from feeling sorry for them. Rather than dwelling on his subjects’ traumatic stories, his documentaries help viewers find strength and courage in theirs. A balanced blend of advocacy and empathetic storytelling, his documentary humanises his subjects without placing moral judgment on them (as seen in OYO.)
A 500-level student of medicine at the University of Benin, Itegboje Daniel, initially conflicted about the relationship between medicine and filmmaking, has discovered how both professions are interconnected. Convinced that his role as a physician extends beyond hospitals and driven by a passion for changing global societal and health outcomes through storytelling, he has found a bond between medicine and documentary filmmaking.
For him, health isn’t merely the absence of disease but a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Documentary filmmaking serves as a medium to highlight certain health and social issues that can lead to improved wellness for the populace. Using OYO, his latest project, as an example, he explained how the documentary sheds light on a group of young boys growing up to adulthood on the streets of Benin City, Nigeria.
The documentary shines a light on the extreme conditions the young boys are exposed to—drug abuse being one of them. “By bringing attention to their story, we can take a step towards ending the cycle of children growing up on the streets of Benin, thereby creating better health outcomes for these children”.
He likens a documentary filmmaker to a hunter who patiently searches for stories or sets up systems that bring stories into their trap. Regardless of how the stories are sourced, he believes, like a skilled hunter, a documentary filmmaker should cultivate patience. Through patience, stories and their natural flow reveal themselves. Itegboje Daniel also maintains that it is counterproductive to try to “rush or force your opinions and ideals into the story”. Allowing the stories to connect seamlessly is the most productive approach.
Festival Acceptance and Oscars Qualifying Festival
Selected for the Durban International Film Festival, OYO is competing with twenty-six short films for the ‘Best Short Film’ and the ‘Best South African Short’ award in the 45th edition of the film festival shorts programme this year. Competing with films from Canada, India, USA, Iran, Belgium, France, South Africa, Haiti, Australia, Poland, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, Kyrgyzstan, and Portugal, Daniel’s winning ‘Best Short Film’ made him eligible to compete for the Oscars International Short film category.
In 2021, Micheal Omonua, one of the Surreal 16 trio consisting of Abba T. Makama and C.J. “Fiery” Obasi, won the Grand Prize at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Switzerland’s largest short film festival with his short film, Rehearsal. This award made Omonua qualified to be nominated for the Oscars International Short Film category.
Should Itegboje Daniel’s OYO win the ‘Best Short Film Award’ at Durban, he will become the second Nigerian indie filmmaker to achieve this feat. When releasing the documentary, he hoped for at least four film festival selections. However, to date, the film has been selected for over 18 film festivals, received five special screenings, and earned over 8 award nominations across 9 countries and four continents.
In Nigeria, OYO screened at iRep, where I first saw and reviewed it, Ibadan Indie Film Awards(IFA), The Filmjoint premiere, and Enugu International Film Festival, where it won its first award for ‘Best Documentary Short Film’. On the continent, OYO is part of the 63 short films selected for the 6th edition of The Accra Indie Filmfest (AiF) scheduled from July 29th to August 3rd, 2024. It also screened at the Zimbabwe International Film Festival. Outside of the continent, it screened at FIPADO International Documentary Film Festival to an international audience in Biarritz, France.
It was also screened by Rushes National Film Festival, a film club, Rushes Film Club, hosted by students of St. Joseph University. Reacting to the news of his Durban selection and competition in the Oscar-qualifying shorts category, Daniel said, “The news made me believe that anything is possible with dedication and Elohim’s grace.”
Itegboje Daniel is Capturing Stories From Benin
One of the inspiring projects Daniel has created is Stories From Benin, a five-part documentary about the lives of Benin residents. Believing that film has the power to give a voice to the voiceless and bring life to unseen and untold stories, Stories From Benin explores important subjects crucial to safety and empowerment in Benin City.
Daniel sums up the inspiration behind this documentary as the need to help people connect with their immediate society. “We want to bring us back to our society and humanity, particularly our humanity, by highlighting the incredible experiences of those in our own environment,” Daniel said of the project.
From The Incredible Story of Benin City’s Blind Guardian, Bonaventure Anyawu: The Traffic Angel of Benin City, A Journey into the Kidnappers Den, From Polio to Prosperity: The Incredible Transformation of Benin City’s Golden Boy, to The Man Fighting Climate Change in Benin, Nigeria, Itegboje Daniel, under 3wm Productions (Three Wise Men Productions), documented the stories of five men who are performing unpaid community services in Benin City. It features Prince Olajugba Yemi Johnson used to volunteer as a vigilante coordinator until he lost his sight, and Bonaventure Anyawu, who has been controlling traffic in Benin City for twenty-five years
It also documents Michael Agbaruke who is voluntarily fighting crime under the Edo State Security Network; Solomon who, despite being physically challenged, is teaching children the upholstery business for free, and Babawale Obayanju who is an environmental enthusiast. Although they come from different professions, these five men are more intimately involved in creating peace and order in the city than government representatives.
Produced under 3wm Productions alongside his two brothers, David and Emmanuel, Daniel is keen on redefining African storytelling. By combining their expertise, the brothers aim to bring a breath of fresh air to the storytelling space. Having laid a foundation to explore the extremes of their strengths and possibilities, 3wm’s long-term plan is to enter the feature film space and create an enabling environment where independent filmmakers can explore their talents.
OYO has resonated with audiences all over the world, eliciting deep sorrow, laughter, and a profound understanding of the boys’ lived experiences. The diverse responses and accolades have been immensely rewarding for Itegboje Daniel as a filmmaker. However, as someone deeply committed to societal change, he believes in the documentary’s potential to effect real transformation in Benin. “We believe the film has the potential to create real change in Benin and improve the lives of these boys”.
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 apparent politics, sentiments, and opinions of the filmmaker to see how they align with reality. He tweets @SeyiVortex. Email: seyi.lasisi@afrocritik.com.