Desmond Ovbiagele, producer and director of The Milkmaid, has said that the urge to remind the world about victims of Boko Haram informed his decision to embark on the production of the movie.
He brought this revelation to light in an exclusive interview with eelive.ng. He added that the movie intends to uncover the trauma that these victims are subjected to.
When asked the essential message he wants Nigeria, the government and governed to learn from The Milkmaid, he said:
“I think what forefront in my mind was that as a result of the crisis a lot of people has fallen. Unfortunately, nothing can be done about that. A lot of people were fortunate to survive but their lives have been irreparably broken and distorted.
“To a very large extent, they are really unable to move forward with their lives without significant assistance and that assistance is both material assistant. As well as emotional and psychological assistance because many of these people are victims of a large degree of trauma which is unquantified as no one has actually engaged them to understand what they’ve been through and help them overcome this harrowing ordeal that they’ve been through.
“So, the message of the film is really just to remind people what the victims of the insurgence have been through and what the survivors who arecurrently living with the trauma have experienced.
“To remind the world that these people are still out there with many of them lying fallow in IDP camps in various places; and perhaps not receiving the attention and care that is required for them to recover the pieces of their lives.”
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Ovbiagele went on to urge people to support the “rehabilitation and reintegration” of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“We really wanted to remind the world that these people are out there. And hopefully be able to marshal some sort of support towards their rehabilitation and reintegration. Similarly, we shouldn’t forget about them.
“We know that there is so much going on in the society. It’s very easy for their plight to be overwhelmed and submerged with all the other things going on. But hopefully the film helps to remind people that something should be done for the victims of insurgence; who are still alive and with us.
The Milkmaid was shot in Taraba State, North-East Nigeria. It stars popular northern Nigerian actress, Maryam Booth, alongside Ibrahim Jammal, Anthonieta Kalunta, and Gambo Usman Kona among others.
eelive.ng had reported how the Hausa language-based thriller bagged eight nominations at the forthcoming Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).
Look forward to our full interview with Desmond Ovbiagele, tomorrow.