Eyimofe (This is My Desire)

A triumph at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival, the revelatory debut feature from co-directors (and twin brothers) Arie and Chuko Esiri is a heartrending and hopeful portrait of everyday human endurance in Lagos, Nigeria.

Shot on richly textured 16mm film and infused with the spirit of neorealism, Eyimofe traces the journeys of two distantly connected strangers—Mofe (Jude Akuwudike), an electrician dealing with the fallout of a family tragedy, and Rosa (Temi Ami-Williams), a hairdresser supporting her pregnant teenage sister—as they each pursue their dream of starting a new life in Europe while bumping up against the harsh economic realities of a world in which every interaction is a transaction. From these intimate stories emerges a vivid snapshot of life in contemporary Lagos, whose social fabric is captured in all its vibrancy and complexity.

"Touching, beautiful, and complex. A Nigerian story, an African story, a migrant story, a human story." (Film Threat)

On Friday, October 1, co-director Arie Esiri will join us in-person for a post-screening Q&A which will be moderated by Daniel Fermín Pfeffer, a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Dept of Performing & Media Arts. Esiri's visit is sponsored by Performing & Media Arts & the CU Migrations Initiative.

Cosponsored with Africana Studies & Research Center (ASRC).

website: www.janusfilms.com/films/2034

Ithaca Premiere • Subtitled