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
Indigenous & Community Access
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.
FOCUS: Once, There Is a City
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The acclaimed 2020 debut feature from brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri, Eyimofe traces the journeys of two distantly connected strangers as they each pursue their dream of quitting Lagos for a new life in Europe.
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