Set in Lagos, Nigeria, Eyimofe follows the stories of Mofe, a factory technician, and Rosa, a hairdresser, on their quest for what they believe will be a better life on foreign shores. A passport, photos, and a visa form recurring elements. The characters’ misfortunes are part of their everyday life, and they are sketching out the need to leave Nigeria at the same time. At the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, status, money, gender, skin colour, and family structures are inextricably connected. The longing for another life is but one thread in this complex mesh, a promise that floats above things at once near and far away.
In this lyrical contemplation on what we must do for survival, we follow the lives of multiple characters as they intersect and find meaning through the inner worlds of Lagos. Set to leave Nigeria for greener pastures and better lives, our characters must demonstrate determination as they endure extended turmoil. The directors, Chuko and Arie Esiri, capture urban life in ways that are both challenging and poignant for anyone who has encountered life in Lagos and found it a thing that can be either savoured or escaped.
Kika Memeh & Ogheneofegor Obuwoma, FOCUS Curators
Presented by
Jude Akuwudike, Temi Ami-Williams, Tomiwa Edun, Cynthia Ebijie, Jacob Alexander, Chioma “Chigul” Omeruah
Nigeria
2020
In Nigerian and English with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Maiden Alex Ibru, Toke Alex Ibru, Salman Zoueihed, Kayode Akindele, Albert Esiri, Ifeoma Esiri, Olorugun Oskar Ibru, Christopher Ibru
Producer
Melissa Adeyemo, Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri
Screenwriter
Chuko Esiri
Cinematography
Arseni Khachaturan
Editor
Andrew Stephen Lee
Production Design
Taisa Malouf
Original Music
Akin Adebowale
Arie Esiri & Chuko Esiri
Arie and Chuko Esiri were born thirty minutes apart in Warri, Nigeria. When they were growing up in their country’s capital, Lagos, their mother would put a padlock on the television in an attempt to make them more studious. Twenty years later, though, both of them enrolled in film schools: Arie graduated from Columbia University, and Chuko from New York University. During their time in New York City, the young filmmakers collaborated on a pair of short films: Besida, which premiered at the 68th Berlinale in 2018, and Goose, presented at the LA Film Festival in 2017. Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) is their first feature film.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
A Poet
When embittered poet Oscar Restrepo takes a job at a local high school, he meets Yurlady, a talented student from a poor background. Seeking to help her cultivate her art, he draws her into the poetry world — to disastrous and comedic results.
The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes
A beautiful portrait of E.J. Hughes, who quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia in the 20th century. This extraordinary documentary explores Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist, but as a devoted, humble human being.
Spring After Spring
Three daughters strive to live up to the standards set by their mother Marie Mimi Ho, and keep Vancouver Chinatown's Spring Parade going through thick and thin, in this enormously affectionate local documentary by Jon Chiang.
Seeds
Shot over nine years, Brittany Shyne’s Sundance-winning documentary is a tender portrait of Black farming families in the American South. A moving meditation on land, legacy, and the strength it takes to hold on.
Sound of Falling
A remote German farmhouse is the stage for the mundane and magical experiences of four girls who call the foreboding place home at various intervals over the course of a century. In turns delicate and devastating, this is cinema at its most experiential.
Image: © Fabian Gamper
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and Special Jury Prize Winner, Sundance, 2025, this exposé shot by a Russian primary teacher shows how the Putin propaganda machine works to militarize children.