It is now confirmed that Nigerian feature film, Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) will screen at this year’s Torino Film Festival (TFF) in Italy. The film, which had its world premiere at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, will screen on November 24, in the Torino 38 section.

Established in 1982 by Professor Gianni Rondolino, the Torino Film Festival is dedicated to innovative styles and new trends in cinema in Italy and abroad. Every year, TFF has established itself as a forum dedicated to supporting independent cinema, first and second works, documentaries and linguistic experimentation. The festival also supports research on the history of cinema through in-depth retrospectives of international cinematic artists.

Throughout its history, the Torino Film Festival has had the honor of hosting international artists such as Francis Ford Coppola, Wim Wenders, Claude Chabrol, John Carpenter, Manoel De Oliveira, Aleksandr Sokurov, Emir Kusturica, William Friedkin, Walter Hill, Dario Argento, Oliver Stone, Kelly Reichardt, Michael Haneke, Joe Dante, John Landis and Greta Gerwig. However, the real objective of the festival is to discover and celebrate emerging directors.

This year TFF celebrates its 38th edition following an unprecedented global pandemic that has reaffirmed the importance of artists, community and cinema storytelling. Despite the unique challenges of hosting the event this year, the festival team is committed to celebrating the power of cinema to uplift, unify and inspire our audiences, our local communities and the international family of filmmakers.

Set in Lagos, Nigeria, Eyimofe is a two-chapter film that follows the stories of Mofe (Jude Akuwudike), a factory technician, and Rosa (Temi Ami-Williams), a hairdresser, on their quest for what they believe will be a better life on foreign Shores.

The film is presented by GDN Studios, directed by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri and produced by Melissa Adeyemo. It was funded entirely in Nigeria, shot on 16mm and filmed across 48 locations in Lagos. Executive Producers include Maiden Alex Ibru, Toke Alex Ibru, Olorogun Oskar Ibru, Kayode Akindele and Ifeoma Esiri.

Since its World Premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in February, the film has been selected for different international festivals, including Indie Lisboa International Film Festival in Portugal, BFI London Film Festival in UK, Mostra Sao Paolo International Film Festival in Brazil, Cinecitta International Film Festival (CIFF) in Netherlands, Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain, The Viennale in Austria, Sharjah Film Platform festival in UAE, Vancouver International Film Festival in Canada, and AFI Film Festival in USA.

Now with the recent festival selections in Greece, Poland and Italy, Eyimofe has been exposed to festival audiences in 13 countries -representing Nigeria everywhere it travels to.