I just overheard my 5yr old begging her sister (9) to please let her have her apples and grapes that she took to school but didn’t eat. Her sis replied “no, I want to eat them while I’m reading my Diary of a Wimpy Kid….”
Me in the kitchen munching THEEE apples and grapes ..
After the premiere of The Trade, I got chatting with producers. I asked them why they didn’t just let Eric get away? He was the perfect villain. You’re rooting for him.
Guess what they replied? Nigeria and Nigerian board restrictions.
Another time, I was cast for a movie that ended being cancelled because the NPF refused to approve how the script portrayed them. It was either they shot it without NPF which was the soul of the plot (ie use any other uniform that doesn’t suggest the NPF, what’ll be the point?), or not shoot at all. They canceled.
The Nigerian creative industry is not just restricted by “obvious” factors… there’re things that go on behind the scenes that greatly stifle ideation.
In the movie Top Gun, the US Navy provided them access to the Ranger aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and ACTIVE-DUTY military pilots to perform the aerial stunts.
In Transformers, the production received massive logistical support. They provided them with helicopters, Raptors, and actual military bases to use as filming locations.
In Ironman, Marvel Studios was granted access an air force base and actual military aircraft to film the scenes where Tony Stark's experimental suit clashes with the US Air Force.
To mention but a few.
But in Nigeria, if you wear Camo as a civilian, you’ll witness wonders.
The state of this nation affects EVERYTHING. It ruins things in ways you can’t begin to imagine until you have skin in it.
You go outside to shoot, you have to deal with street louts. You have a script that touches major sectors, and you’ll have to seek approvals upon approvals, or risk your movie been banned after release.
If this series even remotely refers to a particular national body, and the plot becomes too real, it’ll only take one person who feels attacked to can it.
These people are not stupid. They’re also navigating Nigeria like everyone else.
Let’s be kinder with our criticism.
CLARISSA is as exquisite as they come. A lyrical reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel “Mrs Dalloway,” repositioned to Lagos, Nigeria, this is how you do an adaptation: honoring the spirit of the source material while infusing it with such a distinct and personal perspective that it feels entirely new. The younger and older ensembles are cast so perfectly it’s nearly impossible to single anyone out when every performance is this strong. Passionately told and gorgeously shot on 35mm, this is the kind of film where every frame feels meticulously crafted, with immense care poured into making something both thematically rich and emotionally cathartic.