Africadelic Premiere: Eyimofe (This is My Desire)

On Saturday, January 30, at 9.20pm, Africadelic, in collaboration with Rialto, hosts the Amsterdam premiere of the acclaimed Nigerian film Eyimofe (This is My Desire, 2020). This urban drama, which was screened at Berlinale earlier this year, portrays modern life in Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, through the eyes of two residents with far-reaching plans of leaving the city and the country.

We also have two short films for you this evening: the Gambian ultra-short Help! (2020) and Ndanka Ndanka (2020), a new music video from the Gambian/Senegalese/Dutch collective Dandana starring Nigerian albino Rastaman Simon Chedoke Uletu. 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.

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Africadelic Premiere: Eyimofe (This is My Desire)
Date: Saturday, January 30
Time: 9.20pm
Location: Rialto (Ceintuurbaan 338, Amsterdam)
Title: Eyimofe (This is My Desire)
Director: Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri
Country: Nigeria
Year: 2020
Length: 116 min
Language: Nigerian English with English subtitles
Supporting films: Help! (2020, 1 min, The Gambia) and Ndanka Ndanka by Dandana (2020, 6 min, The Gambia/The Netherlands, English subtitles)
Introduction: Christopher ‘Tijan’ Smith
Tickets: https://rialtofilm.nl/nl/films/576/africadelic-eyimofe

Eyimofe is the debut film of the Nigerian filmmakers (and twin brothers) Arie and Chuko Esiri. The film consists of two parts: ‘Spain’ and Italy’. The two European countries remain invisible as we follow the stories of Mofe, a factory technician, and Rosa, a hairdresser, who are both living and working in Lagos. A passport, photos and a visa form recurring, yet still marginal elements in each part of the film, which only touch briefly, while the daily lives of the protagonists are described in detail. Their misfortunes sketch out the need to leave Nigeria.

At the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, status, money, gender, skin colour and family structures are inextricably connected. Eyimofe speaks of these entanglements with emphatic patience, which grow ever tighter. The longing for another life is just one thread in this complex network, a promise that hovers above things and far away from them at the same time.

Africadelic is a non-profit organization dedicated to stimulate (consciousness about) the cultural creativity and diversity in and from Africa (including the African diaspora). The organization develops, produces and promotes festivals and other socio-cultural initiatives – e.g. music concerts, dance performances, film screenings, art exhibitions and critical debates – with a focus on artists and visitors from Africa and the African diaspora as well as those with an interest in and appreciation for cultural creativity and diversity in and out of Africa.

Africadelic Première: Eyimofe (This is My Desire)