At the 2024 Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, Kambili Ofili’s directorial debut, “Shaping Us,” took up the Best Film
: African Diaspora award. The movie was nominated earlier in the year for six awards, including Best Drama, Best Film – African Diaspora, Best Film – Nollywood, and Best First Film – International. Ofili is a budding British-Nigerian director and the proprietor of Clear Skies Films & Production, a black, female-led film production company whose goal is to employ quality cinematography to highlight accessible, varied African stories. The company is dedicated to making movies that dispel myths and motivate social action. Shaping Us was Ofili’s first film, which she produced, wrote, directed, and acted in without any prior film business experience.
Ofili is the proprietor of Clear Skies and a budding British-Nigerian filmmaker. Speaking about the accomplishment, Ofili conveyed her enthusiasm and appreciation for the filmmaking process. “I put my entire being into this movie, and I’m really touched by the praise it’s gotten. “I hope Shaping Us will ignite empathy and conversations about frequently stigmatized subjects, and help viewers feel seen and understood when they are navigating these situations in their everyday lives,” the actress stated. Shaping Us, a co-production with Edith Nwakenta, chronicles the lives of six close friends as they face and overcome the obstacles of maturity. The movie addresses issues including divorce, postpartum depression, infertility, and the eternal value of friendship. Nevertheless, The film stars Bucci Franklin, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Omowunmi Dada, James Gardiner, Floyd Igbo, Jordan Bangoji, and a cameo from Lasisi Elenu, albeit the release date hasn’t been announced yet.
