August 17, 2020
Watch: Trailer for New Nigerian Lesbian Film Goes Online, Sparks Excitement
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
A self-described "queer" Nigerian filmmaker is bringing a lesbian romance to big-screen life in a nation so hostile to LGBTQ people that entering into a same-sex relationship or being a member of an LGBTQ organization can mean 14 years in prison.
The film, titled "Ife" ("Love" in the Yoruba language) is the work of Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim, who told CNN, "I'm queer so 'Ife' is dear to my heart.
"I wanted to represent LGBTQ characters in a different light than how they are shown in past stories, to change how heterosexuals view them," Ikpe-Etim added.
Nigeria has a thriving film industry. Its domestic production is referred to as "Nollywood," in much the way as India's prolific film production - "Bollywood" riffs on America's filmmaking capital, Hollywood. But films in Nigeria are subject to stricter control than would be the case in the U.S., particularly where depictions of sexual minorities are concerned.
In order to sidestep censors, the film's trailer was published onYouTube, and the movie may go online as well if the feature film is not approved by the state-run Nigerian film board, Reuters reported.
Producer Pamela Adie went online to promote the film, sending out a tweet in which she posted, "So, we made a film. It's a love story about us, for us, and by us."
So, we made a film. It's a love story about us, for us, and by us. All I can say for now is take this poster and manage it because y'all are not ready for what is about to hit you. Introducing �F�; written and directed by @uyai__ and Produced by me????. EP @equality_hub pic.twitter.com/noAzPP1V03– Pamela Adie (@biwomdz) June 29, 2020
"All I can say for now is take this poster and manage it because y'all are not ready for what is about to hit you," the tweet added.
Hers is a courageous stand, given that CNN reports the country's film censors "have said they may 'go after the producers,' if they find that the film promotes homosexuality," which - like same-sex relationships themselves - is illegal in the African nation.
Films with a theme of same-sex love and romance are regarded in Nigeria much as they were in Western nations decades ago: With suspicion, unless non-heterosexual characters are portrayed as insane or possessed by evil spirits, Reuters noted.
Even so, films with gay characters have provided some form of representation, however propagandistic or twisted.
Adie said that "Ife" constitutes a step forward for lesbians, not only for its positive representation but because it's about two women.
"Every time there is a film made that centers LGBTQ people, it would always be about gay men," she told Reuters.
Such films having been made in Nigeria on the subject are thought to have contributed to a greater social acceptance for LGBTQs than was the case even a few years ago.
"We have received support, from when we released the poster to the trailer," Adie told CNN. "It feels like people didn't know they wanted this kind of content till now."
Watch the trailer for "Ife" below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
