Eyimofe
Hardworking handyman Mofe wants to get out of Lagos. He dreams of living in Spain and is already well on his way to achieving that dream: he has a passport and has had his name changed to "Sanchez". A death in the family puts him in financial trouble, as he has to pay for the coffin, but lacks the money to do so.
Rosa lives in a different part of the city – a hairdresser by day, a bar worker at night. She and her younger sister Grace too dream of a life elsewhere, in their case in Italy, and time is somewhat pressing as Grace is pregnant. Where to find the money though, or the right papers? Rosa gets involved with the wrong people.
In their feature debut, twins Arie and Chuko Esiri present a true picture of everyday life in Lagos, a city where the road to a better life is fraught with many obstacles. A comparison with the work of the Dardenne brothers is obvious – and rightly so.
This film can be seen at the following venues:
Rialto De Pijp: Saturday August 21 at 19.00h and Monday August 23 at 21.10h.
Rialto VU: Friday August 27 at 20.30h.
De Balie: Wednesday August 25 at 19.00h. Click here for tickets for this screening.
LantarenVenster, Rotterdam: Sunday August 22 at 16.30h. Click here for tickets for this screening.
Special screening on August 21
On Saturday August 21, WCA & Africadelic present the premiere of Eyimofe. The films will be introduced by Christopher Tijan Smith, the Gambian actor and screenwriter of Help! who has applied for asylum in the Netherlands and is currently staying in an asylum seekers center in Assen. The evening will be presented by Nigerian filmmaker Kayode Gomes of Africadelic, who has been granted asylum in the Netherlands based on his LGBTQ+ activism.
Help!
Christopher Tijan Smith | Gambia | 2020 | 1' | No dialogues
An ultra-short film on domestic violence and sexual abuse against young girls in Gambia. Director Christopher Tijan Smith will be present this evening as well.
Ndanka Ndanka
Dandana | Gambia, The Netherlands | 2020 | 6' | English spoken | English subtitles
Music video by Dandana, who invites us to slow down time. “Ndanka Ndanka” means “easy easy” in Wolof, and refers to the Gambian mentality of taking the time day by day.
ARIE ESIRI (1985, Nigeria) studied at Colombia and New York Universities in the US, then worked in various camera departments before being inspired by the films of Vittorio De Sica. He co-directed the short Goose with his twin brother Chuko, produced the short Besida and Chika Anadu’s award-winning feature B for Boy. Eyimofe (also with twin brother Chuko) is his first feature.
CHUKO ESIRI (1985, Nigeria) studied law then learned about the film business through internships in New York. After returning to Nigeria, he produced Julius Onah’s Big Man and made two short films: Goose, co-directed with his twin brother Arie, and Besida (official selection 2018 Berlin Film Festival). Eyimofe (also with twin brother Arie) is his first feature.
