''Eyimofe'' (''Eyimofe: This Is My Desire'') also known as ''This Is My Desire'' is a 2020 Nigerian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

produced, written and directed by twin brothers Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri on their directorial debuts. The film is made of two chapters called Spain and Italy. The film stars

Jude Akuwudike Jude Akuwudike (born 1965) is a Nigerian actor. He has mostly worked in the United Kingdom, on screen and stage. He has appeared in productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. Early life Born in Nigeria, West ...

and Temi Ami-Williams in the main lead roles. The film was opened to positive reviews from critics and was screened at various global international film festivals in 17 countries.

Synopsis

Split into two different chapters, the film revolves around factory worker technician Mofe (Jude Akuwudike) and hairdresser Rosa (Temi Ami-Williams) on their quest for what they anticipate and believe will be a better life on foreign shores. Mofe wishes to go to Spain and Rosa hopes to go to Italy. However, Mofe loses his family, while Rosa fails to live up to the expectations and promise which she made to Mofe.

Cast

as Mofe * Temi Ami-Williams as Rosa * Cynthia Ebijie as Grace * Tomiwa Edun as Seyi *

Jacob Alexander Jacob "Kobi" Alexander (; born May 4, 1952) is an Israeli-American businessman. He is the founder and the former CEO of New York-based Comverse Technology. In 2006, he was charged with multiple counts of fraud and related offenses pertaining to ...

as Peter *

Chioma Omeruah Chioma Omeruah (born 14 May 1976), better known as Chigul, is a Nigerian comedian, singer and actress who is known for her accents and comedic characters. Life and career Omeruah was born in Lagos to Igbo parents. She moved away whilst still a ...

as Mama Esther *

Ejike Asiegbu Ejike Asiegbu is a Nigerian film actor and film director who once served as President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria. He was also previously appointed as personal assistant to former Biafran leader Odumegwu Ojukwu during the 1994 National Con ...

as Goddey *

Sadiq Daba Sadiq Abubakar Daba, known simply as Sadiq Daba (1951/52 – 3 March 2021) was a Nigerian actor and broadcaster. In 2015, he won Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as "Inspector Waziri" in ''October 1''. Education He had hi ...

as Jakpor * Imoh Eboh as nurse * Chiemela Azurunwa as doctor

Production

The film was announced by twin brothers Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri as they jointly worked for the project. The film marked the directorial debut for both as they co-directed the film. The film was funded entirely in Nigeria and was shot in 16mm and was filmed across 48 locations in

Lagos Lagos ( Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 f ...

where the film was set. Few portions of the film were also shot in New York. The film was awarded the 2018 Purple List Award and was chosen as one of the ten projects in 2019 IFP Narrative Lab in New York.

Release

The film has screened at various international film festivals held in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, US,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, UK,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, China,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. The film was officially selected to be premiered in 17 countries in their respective film festivals as follows *

70th Berlin International Film Festival The 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 20 February to 1 March 2020. It was the first under the leadership of new Berlin Film Festival heads, business administration director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director ...

, Germany (24 February 2020) *

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

, Canada (26 September 2020) *

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

, UK (11 October 2020) * 2020 Film Africa * 2020 Indie Lisboa International Film Festival, Portugal * 2020 Internacional de Cinema São Paulo International Film Festival/Mostra São Paulo Film Festival, Brazil * 2020 Cinecitta International Film Festival, Netherlands *

AFI Film Festival The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

, USA (20 October 2020) * 2020

Valladolid International Film Festival The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...

, Spain * Sharjah Film Platform Festival, UAE * 2020

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي) is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year sin ...

, Egypt * 2020

Thessaloniki International Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF), organized by the cultural institution of the same name under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture, is held every November in Thessaloniki.TIFF features international competition secti ...

, Greece * 2020 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival * 2020 New Horizons International Film Festival, Poland *

Torino Film Festival The Torino Film Festival (also called the Turin Film Festival, TFF) is an international film festival held annually in Turin, Italy. Held every November, it is the second largest film festival in Italy, following the Venice Film Festival. It was f ...

, Italy (24 November 2020) * 2020 Hainan Island International Film Festival, China * Viennale, Austria * World Panorama section of the 51st International Film Festival of India (24 January 2021) *2021

BlackStar Film Festival The BlackStar Film Festival is a Philadelphia film festival focused on films about and by black, brown and indigenous people from around the world. It has been described as the "Black Sundance. The festival is named after Marcus Garvey's shipping ...

Reception

The film received positive reviews from critics. Glenn Kenny of

RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...

gave it 3.5 stars out of four, writing that it is "a confident, knowing, empathetic effort. While the themes here are, of course, redolent of neorealism, the filmmakers don’t make ostentatious nods to cinema past. Their voice is their own; the camera is mobile when it needs to be, but stands still much of the time, letting the excellent cast build their characters as the events of the film test their endurance. And endurance rather than desire is what the movie is finally all about." Writing in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...

'', novelist

Teju Cole Teju Cole (born June 27, 1975) is a Nigerian-American writer, photographer, and art historian. He is the author of a novella ''Every Day Is for the Thief'' (2007), a novel ''Open City'' (2011), an essay collection ''Known and Strange Things'' (20 ...

called it an "artful and luminous film" and "a search for how best to live." Comparing it to

Wong Kar Wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...

’s ''In The Mood for Love'',

Asghar Farhadi Asghar Farhadi ( fa, اصغر فرهادی, ; born 7 May 1972)Soureh Movie Database

’s ''

A Separation ''A Separation'' ( fa, جدایی, Jodâyi; also titled ''Nader and Simin, A Separation'') is a 2011 Iranian drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, starring Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, and Sarina Fa ...

'', and

Mati Diop Mati Diop (born 22 June 1982) is a French-Senegalese filmmaker and actress who starred in the 2008 film ''35 Shots of Rum''. She also directed the 2019 film ''Atlantics'', for which she became the first black female director to be in contention ...

’s ''

Atlantics ''Atlantics'' (french: Atlantique) is a 2019 internationally co-produced supernatural romantic drama film directed by Mati Diop, in her feature directorial debut. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. ...

'', he concludes: "It is a testament to Chuko Esiri’s compact and intelligent script that the film moves by its own persuasive logic, feeling neither like a catalogue of miseries nor a sentimental exercise in third-world pluck." It was listed as one of the best African films of 2022. The film maintains a "Fresh" score of 100% on ''

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

'', and an average score of 7.9, after 22 reviews by critics.

Awards and nominations

The film received few awards and nominations at film festivals. It won the Achille Valdata Award at the 2020 Torino International Film Festival.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=tt10365870 2020 directorial debut films 2020 films 2020 drama films Films set in Lagos Films shot in Lagos 2020s English-language films English-language Nigerian films Nigerian drama films