Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)
Janus Film & Criterion acquired the rights to alum Chuko Esiri’s Eyimofe (This Is My Desire), making history as the first Nigerian film on Criterion Collection.
Set in Lagos, Nigeria, the film follows the stories of Mofe, a factory technician, and Rosa, a hairdresser, on their quest for what they believe will be a better life on foreign shores. “Arie and Chuko’s EYIMOFE does not feel like a debut film,” Criterion President and Janus partner Peter Becker said. “At once a migration story told from the perspective of those longing to leave and a love letter to the filmmakers’ home city of Lagos, this incisive, beautifully shot, and deeply humanist work deftly evokes global issues of class, migration, and social stratification without ever straying from the intimate lives of the ordinary people at its heart. We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this exciting new work to screens and audiences across the country.”
The film will be released in theaters on July 23rd at Film Forum in NYC before opening in other cities and finally landing on the Criterion Channel after its run.
Read more at The Guardian.