Nigerian feature film, Eyimofe (This is My Desire) has won the Achilles Valdosta Award at the Torino International Film Festival in Italy.
Named after the famed Italian film critic, the award is given to the best film in competition as decided by a jury of TorinoSette – La Stampa readers (one of the three major newspapers in Italy).
In giving ‘Eyimofe’ the award, the jury made a special note of the film’s interpretation of “the theme of emigration with an alternative slant, from the point of view of the migrant before he becomes one. In a sort of neorealism, the authors represent the difficult daily life of Lagos with dignity without falling into melodrama and compassion.”
Set in Lagos, Nigeria, Eyimofe is a two-chapter film that follows the stories of Mofe (Jude Akuwudike), a factory technician, and Rosa (Temi Ami-Williams), a hairdresser, on their quest for what they believe will be a better life in a foreign country.
The film was directed by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri and produced by Melissa Adeyemo.
Since its world premiere, the film has been selected for several international festivals, including Indie Lisboa International Film Festival in Portugal, BFI London Film Festival in the UK, Cinecitta International Film Festival (CIFF) in the Netherlands and the International Film Festival in Canada.