Director's statement:
Ojuju is a monster, a masquerade; he wears a mask, and he steals away badly behaved children. This was what I was told as a child. A mask connotes hiding, the unrevealed, but what if one's true nature was the mask itself?
In this film, Ojuju and Mezie's tussle for control stands as a juxtaposition to the battle of one's true self against a false nature created out of a need to fit into societal norms and constructs. It is a critique of the culture of self-denial and abandonment.
At its core, this is a film that analyses this culture of coping and its painful costs, as Mezie doesn't defeat what haunts him; instead, he tries his best to ignore it and negotiates his way around it. The way so many of us have learned to 'suck it in' and carry on.
The film will be a stunning marvel; you can tell from the screenplay how every shot has already been creatively thought out. The sound would also not be neglected, as a score will be created for the entire work as well as a soundtrack LP with music from, for and inspired by the film.
The film, its story, its message, while set in Nigeria and inspired by the Igbo culture, holds a global resonance, and I am sure that people who are neurodivergent, or have had struggles with their sexuality, mental health or felt isolated or like outcasts would no doubt identify with and find a friend in this film.
