How I feel about AMVCA nomination —Ogo Okpue

Ogo Okpue is a London based filmmaker and multi-disciplinary designer. He speaks to PAUL OMOROGBE about his short film, Catface, which was recently nominated for the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA). Written and directed by Ogo Okpue and produced by Ogo and Marius Smuts, Catface is Ogo’s third micro-budget short film.

What’s your background?

I was born in northern Nigeria and raised in the south of the country, specifically, Lagos. I have always dreamt of a career in the arts and media. After completing a BSC degree in Computer Science in Nigeria, I came to the UK, where I graduated with an MA in Digital Film and Animation from London Metropolitan University.

How and when did you go into film production?

I discovered my talent in storytelling years ago. I have always been keen on storytelling via various media since I was age 5. I drew and sold my first set of comics at age 8 in my primary school and I created my first 2-D cartoon on a 486 machine around age 10.

I would make up stories in my head and play out a whole film (opening to closing credits) in my bedroom from a very young age.

My formative years were in Lagos, Nigeria and film making was not a very popular craft, so though I was passionate about telling stories, I didn’t see film making as a viable outlet until my early 20s when I decided to move to London.

I got involved in live action films around 2008. My first film project, which was a student film, was in my own opinion, a disaster though I learnt a lot from it. I had a cast and crew of almost 50. I was so discouraged by the outcome and my confidence took a major hit so I took a break from filmmaking until 2011 when the filmmaking itch became too strong to resist. I had just met a cinematographer by the name Joao Da Silva and we became good friends.

So after a candid conversation with him, I decided to return into the world of filmmaking. I used my flat as the location for a short 5 minutes film script that I wrote and was passionate about. The film was called Damaged. Its premise was on the psychological aftermath of domestic abuse. I have never looked back since then.

Tell us about ‘Catface’…

The film is basically about a vigilante born through supernatural means who decides to take revenge on an online cult of violent serial killers across the city of London. After five years of avenging the lives of many victims, Catface decides to bring the revenge closer to home.

An African European film due to the hybrid of cultures inherent in the narrative, Catface is a 19-minute dark supernatural thriller with a mix of the classic revenge genre and African mysticism.

The film features a group of talented British talents including Katrina Nare, Anthony Trahearn, Alex Scrivens, Fanny Escobar and Lanre Olubamiwo. Catface has been screened at various events and festivals in the UK and Nigeria including the British Urban Film Festival, African International Film Festival, TADO and many more. It has currently been nominated for Best Short film at the Prestigious Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) 2017.

What motivated you to do this movie?

My main drive behind making this film was twofold: the first being to add a fictional anti hero from African descent to the superhero/vigilante entertainment ecosystem which is heavily lacking in ethnic minority representation.

Second, was to highlight the issue of online serial killers, their methods and their attachment to online dating communities.

How do you feel about the AMVCA nomination?

The AMVCA is a one of the most prestigious film and TV award ceremonies in Africa and the network is quite a behemoth in the African media space; so to be nominated with the prospects of getting some level of exposure on their platform provokes a delightful feeling.

When will ‘Catface’ be out?

Catface will be available online on various video on demand platforms from February 2017.