'OJUKOKORO' - greed

This just might be the Nigerian Lock Stock and Two smoking Barrels. Premiering at last year's Africa International Film Festival, 'Ojukokoro' was highly anticipated for its general release. The  main plot revolves around a  petrol station manager Andrew (Charles Etubiebi) who decides to rob his place of work, which acts as a front for criminal activity and money laundering. All seems to go well, but he's not the only one with the same idea.

It'll be interesting to see what the Nigerian take on the 'stealing from thieves' theme is like, I've heard it's quite slow to get going but once it does the interwoven stories come together creating a cohesive and thrilling narrative.

'Ojukokoro' can be found on YouTube now.

widows - moRE viOLA daVIS magic

Where to start? It's hard not to fan girl all over this trailer simply because of Viola Davis. Here she stars as the wife of a criminal who's last job goes horribly wrong.

Enter the other widows, who decide to team up and complete the job themselves. Well that’s what I gathered from the trailer. It's an odd premise, the widows deciding to pull off an extremely difficult heist themselves, with seemingly no experience? But because its Viola I believe in them!!

Directed by Steve McQueen of 'Twelve years a Slave', it looks to be a tense and gripping crime drama, with some excellent actresses at the helm, I'm sure it wont disappoint.

'In The Long Run' - new sitcom featuring Idris Elba

Unless you've been under a rock, you will have noticed that the debate around colourism and the preferential treatment of light skinned women has been raging on social media in recent years.

​There have been movements like #prettyperiod and #unfairandlovely aiming to support and uplift women of darker complexions from the prejudice they face because they are perceived as less beautiful by a society that holds 'whiter is better' as it's mantra.

Enter British independent Film 'No Shade' written and directed by Clare AnyiamOsigwe, the story tackles the issue of colourism via the relationships of the main characters, whether they are dating, married or in a long term relationship. 

The portrayal of women in this film is highly problematic, whether it’s the main protagonist's entire happiness and fulfilment hinging on being in a relationship, the stereotyped light skinned women being bitchy and full of themselves, or her best friend who it seems we don't need to know anything about other than she is getting married. But if you can brush that aside, the emotional rollercoaster and themes of the perpetuation of colourisim within our own communities hits a deep deep nerve, which had many in the audience including me, close to tears.
More importantly there were many men there, who really need to be part of the discussion and examine their internalized racism, as many sadly, buy into the 'lighty' and by their rejection of darker shades continue the oppression of Black women and misogynoir.

The conversation is starting to reach those who need it, and I hope it gets shown in schools where this behaviour is frustratingly all too common.

'No Shade' it has it's UK premiere June 5th at Rio Cinema, Dalston.