Nigerian movies are getting global recognition, Kunle Afolayan says as ‘Citation’ wins best international film award in UK

Nollywood movie Citation, a film by Nigerian director Kunle Afolayan, was named the best international film at the 2022 National Film Festival (NFF) in the United Kingdom; DANIEL ABEL reports the reactions and feedbacks as another Nigeria movie gets global recognition.

ACE filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan says Nigerian movies are getting the deserved accolades at the global level without lobbying for recognition as his movie ‘Citation’, clinched the best international film award at the 2022 National Film Festival in the United Kingdom.

Afolayan, through his official Instagram account, expressed his delight with the award saying the award came as a surprise to him “as there was no form of lobbying to win.”

He said, “Two days ago in London, Citation won Best International Film. The Director and the entire production team did not see the award coming.

“We are grateful for the support and recognition of the public and the organisers. I am glad we got recognised without even lobbying.

“The National Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony celebrating the achievements of established and independent filmmakers, actors, actresses, casting directors, production companies, and crew who make up the motion picture industry.

“The National Film Awards holds 4 events annually in the United Kingdom, USA, South America, Africa, and Australia.

“All nominations and voting for the NFA are submitted and voted for by movie fans. The NFA is produced by the National Film Academy which also produces the new National Film Festival.”

Citation is a sobering drama about sexual assault on college campuses, allegedly based on true events. Though hardly the first missive against this widespread problem, it provides a west African angle rarely seen by the rest of the world, told in stark, compelling terms.

By depicting an environment where rape culture has been normalized due to oppressive assumptions related gender and sexuality, director Kunle Afolayan delivers an unflinching wakeup call that extends well beyond Nigeria’s borders.

The story centers on smart and determined college student Moremi (Temi Otedola), who accuses celebrated professor Lucien N’Dyare (a charismatic Jimmy Jean-Louis) of sexual assault. Much of the ensuing drama unfolds as an unnerving tribunal, as university authorities listen to testimony from Moremi, N’Dyare, and other witnesses and advocates.

Moremi’s allegations aren’t exactly taken as gospel from the start, as the trial quickly devolves into a he-said-she-said dynamic. Flashbacks reveal Moremi’s life and community, foregrounding the many complexities of her claim as the true nature of her experience comes to light. This is no “Rashomon”-style narrative ambiguity here: N’Dyare, a professor admired and highly respected by his students and peers, is clearly guilty.

The movie explores this truth in stark detail, as cinematographer Jonathan Kovel’s slick camerawork provides a steady immersion into eerie nature of the university’s self-contained world, where every passing gaze leads to a mounting sense of paranoia for the victim and her role in a community designed to mistrust her complaints.

Moremi’s relationship with her professor began from a place of innocence, when he claims not to know how to drive a car with manual transmission, and she agrees to teach him. That seemingly innocuous exchange leads to an unexpected field trip to Senegal, where their dynamic enters a more disturbing phase.

Meanwhile, Moremi’s romantic relationship with medical student Koyejo (Gabriel Afolayan) shifts from tender to volatile as he becomes uncomfortable with the role of the professor in her life, as she grows uncertain about her options. That unseemly situation culminates with a house party at the teacher’s home, and particularly ugly set of circumstances that the filmmaker lays out in enough detail to leave nothing up for debate.

Yet as Moremi shares her story with the tribunal and N’Dyare’s status and credentials abet his lies, it’s her credibility that comes into question; “Citation” works best when it hovers in the infuriating skepticism hurled at its young protagonist as she makes her case, and it’s unclear whether the system will work in her favor until the final, unnerving act.

Indiewire noted that the movie unfolds against a rich tapestry of daily Nigerian life. At two hours and 30 minutes, the movie does have a tendency to lag (one lengthy concert sequence drags on). But with its alarming subject at its centre — Otedola’s complex embodiment of the anger and frustration at hand — “Citation” eventually maintains a complex emotional arc throughout.

Afolayan’s previous films include the groundbreaking Nigerian horror movie “Araromire” (The Figurine), and he’s one of a handful of internationally-known Nigerian filmmakers pushing for a new kind of Nollywood cinema — specifically one that can compete in the international film marketplace.

It is worth noting that Citation was Temi Otedola’s debut as an actress, where she delivered an oustanding display in her role as Moremi. The daughter to popular billionaire and business mogul, Femi Otedola, also doubles as a fashionpreneur.

Furthermore, United Nations report on cinema in Africa corroborates Afolayan’s statement that Africa and Nigerian movies especially are getting global recognition. The report pointed out that film industries in Africa if managed properly could quadruple their revenue to $20 billion and create an extra 20 million jobs in creative industries.

In just a few years, Nigeria has climbed the cinematic ladder and is inundated with aspiring moviemakers whose productions are generating multi-million-dollar blockbusters and the obligatory glamorous red carpet events. With an annual output of nearly 2,500 films, Nigeria’s Nollywood is the world’s second-largest film industry.