iREP 15 Opening Night Brings Industry and New Voices Together

Iyke Bede

Set out with a transformative agenda for its 15th edition, themed ‘Transformation’, the iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival (iREP) kicked off following the culmination of a first-of-its-kind, three-day Strategic Partnership Workshop with Ecobank: Smartphone Filmmaking Workshop, to ignite the fervour in 120 young filmmakers.

This year, Ecobank Pan African Centre is playing host alongside the home of the iREP, Freedom Park, to showcase over 30 documentary films selected from the continent and beyond.

Attendees were immersed in a world of visual art displays and artistic appreciation at the Centre.
But more than that, the opening night served as an evening for the film industry stakeholders to convene, unwind, and bask in the camaraderie of the evening, appreciating the creative forces behind some of the billed documentaries, past outstanding works, as well as gaining more insights into their creative journeys in filmmaking.

Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, a keynote speaker at the certificate presentation, was a crowd favourite among participants of the Smartphone Filmmaking Workshop during the evening cocktail, easily mixing with the young filmmakers and sharing his excitement and encouragement as he passed the baton of knowledge to the next generation of storytellers.

Nigerian actors Joke Silva and Richard Mofe-Damijo, with the Director-General of the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, were some of the influential figures to grace the event, among others.

Nigerian film documentarian Joel Benson had the special honour of having his Emmy award-winning documentary ‘Madu’ serve as the opening film this year, which chronicles the unlikely story of Anthony Madu, capturing his life-changing journey into the world of ballet, a world that is miles apart from his upbringing, culture, and class.

The audience’s reception to ‘Madu’ was overwhelmingly positive. The film traces Madu’s journey at Elmhurst Ballet School, where he grapples with the demanding path to becoming a fully fledged danseur, faces a newly discovered eye defect that could threaten his career, and carries the hopes of his humble family. A sombre, reflective pulse reverberated through the hall. This beautifully pairs with the triumphs attained at the end, and the ever-laughter-triggering, newly ‘acquired’ accent Madu is now fluent in.

The opening night of the iREP slated for 18 to 22 March brought together seasoned filmmakers and newcomers in the same rooms and in front of the same screen. Ideas were tested, questions thrown, and the work behind every documentary, quantified by the long hours, the challenges, and the risks, was on full display for anyone paying attention.