Foremost Nigerian film producer/director, Mildred Okwo was a guest on a recent episode of Nigerian writer, Omolara Wood‘s Art For the People podcast. She reflected on the prominent figures who influenced her career and how the 1992 blockbuster, Living in Bondage nudged her into film making.
On her foray into Nollywood, she revealed; “If I was brave enough, I would have started writing and filming from when I was a teenager but I didn’t because then you were expected to go to law school or medical school, those were the courses our parents wanted us to do. I had started writing stories at age 9 and for some reason, I thought that I needed to go to law school but I didn’t because my father said I was too young to be a lawyer at 15. He wanted me to study law as my second degree so I would be prepared for it.
“I got admitted to study Theatre Arts at UNIBEN but the course was my third choice. In my second year, my father gave me a camera as my birthday present. It was quite expensive back then, about a thousand pounds but I didn’t use it for one day because I didn’t understand how to use it. When I graduated, I went to live in Los Angeles to get my law degree but deep down, I knew that I was going to give my parents my law certificate. After studying Theatre Arts, I knew that I wasn’t going to be an actress, I saw myself behind the scene. So I thought that I should use my law degree to make money but Nollywood started becoming popular.”
On how Living in Bondage impacted her career, she shared; “From the first day that I watched Living in Bondage, I knew that I couldn’t wait to get back to Nollywood and make films, so everything I did was directed at that. Then I started studying about films to be a part of the industry. I used to watch the Oscars and Emmys every year, but I wasn’t motivated to be a film maker until I saw Living in Bondage. If I had not seen Living in Bondage, I wouldn’t have been a film maker. The movie influenced my career. So the people making movies back in Nigeria didn’t know how much they influenced us in the diaspora.
“I remember that I used to be in front of judges presenting a case, but I always felt the audience was too small., I wanted something that would place me on a bigger platform. I wanted to share my ideas with a bigger audience. The face that people like Amaka Igwe and Ego Boyo were making films was an inspiration. When I watched Violated, I was excited and that was what led to my first film with Ego Boyo.”
However, Mildred Okwo has been in the news recently due to her forthcoming neo-noir crime thriller, titled La Femme Anjola.
The movie follows the story of a young male stock broker (Nonso Bassey), whose life is turned upside down when he falls for a femme fatale (Rita Dominic), married to a wealthy gangster.
Speaking on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the movie which was supposed to hit the cinemas this year, Okwo who directed the movie stated that they had just finished shooting when the pandemic started. “There was nothing we could do,” she said. ” The strength of the teaser we have put out has made people feel it’s one of those movies they want to look our for.”
“I got the script about five years ago from Tunde Babalola and I knew that I had to do the right film,” she continued.
“The first film I worked on with him was The meeting and people loved it but I still feel that I didn’t shoot it the way I wanted to. I want this film to be described as my first film. Even though I have shot other films, this is the one that I want my signature on.”
Watch the teaser for La Femme Anjola below.
