Nigerian media mogul and founder of EbonyLife Media, Mo Abudu, has launched a new label, Mo Abudu Films, aimed at expanding the Nigerian film industry by producing more intimate and personal films that champion the voices of underrepresented communities.
Mo Abudu Films will serve as a platform for Abudu’s directorial ambitions and focus on producing films that address mental health issues. Abudu has already directed two short films, Her Perfect Life and Iyawo Mi (My Wife), which will be the first titles on the Mo Abudu Films slate.
Her Perfect Life follows the story of Onajite Johnson Ibrahim (Pearl Thusi), a woman in her 30s who appears to have the ideal life on Instagram but is secretly suffering from depression and contemplating suicide. Meanwhile, Iyawo Mi looks at mental health issues among Nigeria’s poorest, through the story of Kunle (Lateef Adedimeji), a young married man whose wife Eniola (Bolaji Ogunmola) has had a mental breakdown and is threatening to tear their family apart.
Both films have been invited to screen at the prestigious Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, which runs from August 4 to 12, 2023. Iyawo Mi will also be showcased at the Cannes Short Film Corner, an industry section of the Cannes Festival that highlights new directing talent.
Abudu hopes that Mo Abudu Films will ignite conversations and spark positive change while paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable world. She expressed her excitement about the news on her social media platforms, highlighting the honor of having her films selected for the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival and the global stage that is the Cannes Film Festival.
She also thanked her team, including executive producers Bola Atta, Wale Tinubu, Shola Akinlade, and Nonso Okpala; supervising producer Heidi Uys; producers Inem King, Sonia Onyeakuko, and Josh Olaoluwa; director of photography Kabelo Thato; production designer Temidayo Makanjuola; 1st assistant director May Baykar, and wardrobe specialist Yolanda Okereke.
The film scores for Her Perfect Life and Iyawo Mi was composed by Kulanen Ikyo and Michael Akinlade, respectively.
