Nollywood filmmakers, Pamela Adie and Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim, are risking up to 14 years jail sentence should they proceed to release Ìfé, a new movie that centres around lesbianism.
Recall that the official trailer of the movie which features MTV Shuga star, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, and actress Cindy Amadi.
Since the release of the trailer, there has been heated controversy among stakeholders in the movie-making industry and the Nigerian authorities regarding the legality of the movie.
While the filmmakers, according to BBC, are hellbent on releasing Ìfé, the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) is insisting on not approving it as it violates Nigeria’s strict laws on homosexuality.
Surprisingly to NFVCB, the filmmakers are planning a surprise online release. And in order to catch the regulators off-guard, they are organising a private screening in Ikeja area of Lagos, at the end of the month, for which they believe they do not need to get permission.
Information reaching eelive.ng also has it that Ìfé will get an international premiere in Canada next month (October 2020).
Defending the legality of the film, Adie explained to BBC that Ìfé only aims at showing an accurate picture of lesbian and bisexual women in Nigerian movies.
“If a lesbian woman does appear in a standard Nollywood movie they are often portrayed as being possessed, influenced by bad friends or forced into homosexuality and always needing saving”, BBC quoted her as saying.
Adie explained, “You rarely see stories about LGBT people, especially about queer women that speak to the realities of our lives. Ife was made to bridge the gap and to get the conversation going in Nigeria.”
