Vanessa Obioha
With the 14th edition of the iREP International Documentary Film Festival just days away, the organisers have unveiled the lineup of 10 documentary films set to headline the event. Among them is the Disney-helmed ‘Madu,’ which follows the journey of 12-year-old Anthony Madu as he pursues his dreams of ballet dancing in the UK.
Co-directed by Nigerian filmmaker Joel Benson, the screening at iREP will mark the African premiere of this inspiring tale.
“‘Madu’ is a journey of discovery, growth, belonging, and acceptance,” shared Benson. “Making Anthony’s voice heard has been our ultimate drive. Ultimately, we are both conduits to allow Anthony to tell his story rather than our observational points of view. Our shared journey is about curiosity and creating an understanding of different cultures through our connection with each other. It brings us great pride to be bringing this story to the continent for the first time, with an African premiere at the iREP film festival in Lagos, Nigeria.”
Other documentaries headlining the festival include Gbemi Shasore’s ‘Loot and the Lost Kingdoms,’ which delves into the story of Africa’s stolen artefacts, with a focus on Nigeria; Saheed Aderinto’s ‘The Fuji Documentary’ pays homage to the Yoruba musical sound and its influences on other genres; and Nika Saravanja’s ‘Jump Out’ offers an inspiring narrative about children and youngsters chasing their dreams without succumbing to the notion that money is the only path to success, among others.
These films comprise part of the over 45 selections for this year’s festival, all of which reflect the theme ‘Righting the Future.’ This deliberate choice aims to spark conversations about the present and future of the continent while fostering deeper dialogue between the younger generation and their elders.
In line with its commitment to reaching underserved communities, iREP 2024 will continue its Inner City Screening (ICS) project, which began last year. The project was conceived to spread documentary film ideas and content to communities that are not usually captured in the screening and consumption of media content. This year, selected films will be showcased in four communities: Bariga, Ikorodu, Ajegunle, and Ejigbo.
