This Week at the Detroit Film Theatre: “Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)”
A film from Lagos, Nigeria highlights a contemporary African narrative that’s rare to see in American cinemas. It arrives this weekend at the Detroit Film Theatre inside of the DIA.
CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM gives you a front-row seat to the latest films playing at the Detroit Film Theatre (DFT).
Since 1974, DFT director Elliot Wilhelm has curated the films shown in this historic theater inside the Detroit Institute of Arts. The DFT recently kicked off its 2021 fall season. The full schedule, tickets and information about COVID-19 protocols for patrons who are attending can be found via DFT’s website.
Now Showing: “Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)”
A triumph at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival, the revelatory debut feature from co-directors (and twin brothers) Arie and Chuko Esiri is a heartrending and hopeful portrait of everyday human struggles in the teeming streets Lagos, Nigeria.
Listen: DFT director Elliot Wilhelm talks about “Eyimofe.”
Filmed in richly textured colors and infused with the spirit and legacy of neorealist storytelling, “Eyimofe” traces the journeys of two distantly connected strangers: Mofe (Jude Akuwudike), an electrician dealing with the fallout of an unexpected family tragedy; and Rosa (Temi Ami-Williams), a hairdresser supporting her pregnant teenage sister. The film finds them as they each pursue their dreams of starting new lives in Spain and Italy respectively, while bumping up against the harsh economic realities of a world in which every interaction is, in fact, a transaction.
From these intimate, detailed stories emerges a vivid snapshot of life in contemporary Lagos, a city of more than 14 million, whose social fabric is captured here in all its vibrancy and complexity. Official Selection, AFI Fest and New Directors/ New Films; Grand Jury Prize, Seattle International Film Festival. In Nigerian English with English subtitles. (116 minutes)
“Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)” is showing Saturday, Nov. 20 and Sunday, Nov. 21 with multiple showtimes. More information via the Detroit Film Theatre’s website.
Detroit Film Theatre director Elliot Wilhelm contributed to this web story.
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