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LAGOS: A low-budget comedy in the working-class suburb of the Nigerian capital, the first film of Ema Edosio "Kasala!" is a world away from the usual style and glamor of Nollywood. 19659002] Instead it oozes sweat, dust and marijuana with the smell of rotten meat and engine oil in a love letter to Lagos that reflects a growing interest in Social Realism
in local street slang, takes place in the streets of Ojuelegba, a working-class suburb of the densely populated 'mainland' of Lagos.
While roaming the neighborhood, locals welcome this 34-year-old director as a local.
Even though Edosio herself lives on the "islands" – the most prosperous area of this mega-city of 20 million people – this is a reality she knows well after growing up in a region similar with his eight brothers and sisters. 19659002] "Eighty percent of Lagos is like that but it's … under-represented in the cultural scene," she said AFP .
"I want to be the voice that puts their life on the screen."
The plot, which takes place over 24 hours, involves four young friends coming out for a good time and stealing a car belonging to the One of their uncles. But they end up having to find 20,000 nairas (RM 225,19) to repair when they have an accident.
TJ and his friends are typical teenagers but even a juvenile error of judgment can have serious consequences in a poor area of Lagos.
The uncle is in debt and is at risk of being killed if he does not sell the car.
The film shows young Africans stuck in poverty, debt and second-hand clothes, dreaming of a better life as their idol, the superstar of Afropop, Davido
C & # 39; is above all a film about friendship in which the ingenuity of big African cities is omnipresent.
Social Cinema
Brutal realism is exactly what drew Abiodun Kassim, who plays the poor uncle in debt who tries to make ends meet at his meat stall dirty on the local market.
"My character represents the backbone of Nigeria, the story of the daily life of all those people who force their way through life," he said.
"These … are in the majority, but people do not talk about it. "
Since its release," Kasala! "has been critically acclaimed in the Nigerian press.
" 2018 does not not been a very good year for Nollywood, "writes Oris Aigbokhaevbolo on Bella Naija's website.
" But "Kasala!"
Writing on the website of the Lagos Film Society, Dare Dan hailed "Edosio's sensitivity to life in these neighborhoods from the first shot"
"Comedy, rooted in The Realism is not something that we often encounter on Nigerian screens. "
" Refreshing, Authentic "
Still, No Cinema local has agreed to show "Kasala!"
"Everywhere I am told that people want to see inspiring films," said Edosio, who for most Nigerians means to show rich people.
"This kind of social cinema is struggling to emerge," said Serge Noukoue, organizer of the annual film festival Nollywood Week in Paris
"This is not in the DNA from Nollywood, which aims to entertain. "
" We are still in the wave of "high life" of Nigerian cinema – very sophisticated, in the fashionable areas, the makeup of women … "
At the festival, how " Kasala! " was chosen as one of this year's "must-see" films.
"It's a refreshing and authentic film," said Noukoue.
"Ema Edosio is a "new voice" in the universe of Nollywood, it's a good and very positive thing. "
Against the Current
Abba Makama , director of "Green White Green" (2016), said that he was "sick and tired" of "brilliant and brilliant" productions using actors with British or American accents.
He describes his film, whose title refers to the colors of the Nigerian flag, as his "mosaic of madness."
This was one of the earliest examples of A small but big movement of social realism to hit the cultural scene of the most populous nation of Africa. The film has been featured in about 20 festivals around the world, including Toronto, and is available on Netflix
But again, it has never been shown on the big screen in Nigeria, despite its huge success.
"In the 2000s, there were only about twenty cinemas throughout the country," Makama said.
"Now we have several portals, African Magic, YouTube, more cinemas … However, the movies are pretty much the same.We need a distribution platform alternative cinema. "
Edosio agrees, confident that there is an audience for his films and those of others who are also swimming against the tide: it just needs to be proven to distributors. AFP
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