Goethe-Institut Nigeria has unveiled the winning projects for its 2024/2025 Support & Connect initiative program, an annual program designed to foster creativity, innovation, and critical engagement across various fields. This year’s edition features a range of ideas and projects that cover diverse themes, offering fresh perspectives & opening up timely discussions.
One of the winning projects is An Amaka Igwe Retrospective by Dika Ofoma (A Quiet Monday). This documentary will look at the life and work of Amaka Igwe, a pioneer in Nigerian filmmaking. It will highlight her role in Nollywood and her status as the first known female director in Nigeria.
Dika’s choice for his pitch for the Support & Connect Initiative aligns with his reputation for creating films that explore societal norms and values in Nigerian society, as seen in A Quiet Monday and God’s Wife. Through her films, Igwe showcased strong, complex portrayals of women, breaking away from traditional stories and reshaping the male-dominated film industry of her time. He noted how important it was to him to document Amaka Igwe’s filmmaking while also celebrating her.
“Amaka Igwe saw storytelling as a tool for social change and that’s why many of her films were themed around social issues and that’s what the film will be about.’, Dika remarked.
An Amaka Igwe Retrospective will spotlight a selection of Igwe’s most iconic works, including Rattlesnake, Violated, Forgiveness, and To Live Again. These films are celebrated not just for their artistic and cinematic excellence but also for their profound cultural and social impact. By documenting her pioneering efforts, Dika hopes to learn more about the filmography of Amaka Igwe while inspiring the younger generation of filmmakers to understand the importance of purposeful filmmaking.
More details about this project will be revealed over time. Also on the cards for Dika Ofoma is the premiere of his new film ‘God’s Wife’ at the S16 film festival happening from December 10-13.
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