Nigeria’s First Film Showing Lesbian Love Story Faces Censorship

LOS ANGELES—In a country where same-sex sexual relationships remain illegal, and can be punished by up to 14 years in prison, Nigeria’s $590 million film industry — known as “Nollywood” — has finally produced its first movie depicting a love story between two women. But to avoid censorship by Nigeria’s National Film and Video Censors Board, the producer of the upcoming film Ìfé says that she will make the release available online only, according to a report by the Reuters news service.  "We only see stories about LGBT people that condemn us, to say that we are people to be beaten, sometimes even killed,” producer Pamela Adie, who is also an LGBTQ rights activist in the West African country, told Nigeria’s Premium Times newspaper. “That is the kind of narrative that we get from Nollywood but that is not the reality. We are human beings too, just like everybody else.” In Nollywood films, LGBTQ characters are typically portrayed as mentally ill, or even under a witch’s spell, according to a CNN report.  The film’s title, a word in the Nigerian Yoruba language which is spoken primarily in the country’s southwest region, translates simply as “love.” But Afie told Reuters that her intention with the film was simply to portray the reality of a lesbian relationship in her country. “The role of film is not to say ‘this is right, or not’. I think that the role of film, and a filmmaker, is to portray reality as it is,” Adie told Reuters. But fearing censorship from the government over the movie’s gay content, she says that Ìfé will not even attempt a theatrical release, debuting solely via streaming platforms.  She did not announce a release date for the film. But a trailer has been made available online, and may be viewed below. The producer’s worry about a government crackdown against the film appears well-founded, according to what a representative of the censorship board told CNN.  "We are monitoring the progress of the movie, and if it goes against the law by promoting homosexuality, we will be forced at some point to go after the producer and executive producer," Adedayo Thomas, executive director of the NFVCB told the network. The filmmakers have not submitted Ìfé to the censors board for review, however, so far avoiding any censorship or possible banning of the movie. Afie produced the film in collaboration with The Equality Hub, a non-governmental organization that advocates for the rights of LGBTQ people in Nigeria.  A recent survey found that public opinion remains heavily homophobic in Nigeria, with 75 percent supporting the enforcement of the country’s anti-gay Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2014.  Photo by Ìfé The Movie YouTube Screen Capture