My brother and I were at boarding school in England when the Lion King was in theatres. Every other weekend or so my uncle and aunt would take us out and for three exeats (that’s what they were called) it was the Lion King. I think it was then the idea of cinema moored itself in me.
My father is a consultant who wanted to be a painter and my mother a lawyer who wanted to write so it only made sense I go to law school and be miserable. After graduation, with equal measures of support and concern, I moved to New York and rattled around internships at Gersh and Innovative Artists (the idea of being a professional hadn’t quite left me) there I learnt of film school and what it offered; with that the die was finally cast. I returned to Nigeria and applied to Columbia and NYU’s graduate film programs; that year I was rejected by the former and waitlisted for the latter, without breaking stride I did my National service and applied once more meeting with success. The one page treatment for Eyimofe was included in my second application to NYU.