by Ifeoluwa Olutayo
New Culture Studios embodies a continuity of support. The site, designed and built ingeniously by the great Artist, designer, and Architect(among many other things), Demas Nwoko, has served the creator’s purpose for decades, providing a home for independent artists to commune and work intensely for as long as needed, bringing works of incredible provenance to life.
The space, now run by his grandson Rufus Nwoko, is continuing that legacy, and it’s in that very interest that the Indie Film Awards (IFA, also known as the Ibadan Indie Film Festival) have been held at this site since its inception in 2022.
I sat in conversation with the director of IFA, Moses Ipadeola, talking, in the aftermath of the festival’s third edition, about the aims for their team and their continuing contributions to shaping and providing a home for Nigerian independent filmmakers.
Q: I think my first question is tied to the admirable work you do here at IFA. Looking at the last three years of running IFA, what is one thing you’re proud of so far?
I think it’s important to give all glory to God cause that’s the basis of everything we’ve managed to do, in all humility. I would say in the aftermath of that, it’s probably a sense of direction in the films we curate. Not just alternative films, not just films that haven’t made other festivals, not just anti-mainstream films, but deep films, that are unorthodox (love using this word because I think it’s important to think outside the box), that are by filmmakers not looking to conform to mainstream expectations.
Platforming these types of films, year in and year out as we keep growing, films that gatekeepers of the industry would reject in assuming audience indifference to them, and witnessing them here with the audience greeting them with some much love and appreciation. Being able to bring filmmakers, Film lovers and critics into one space and have them experience these films together, that’s something for me to be proud of.
We’ve stuck to our guns concerning the kinds of films we want to be associated with and we’ve also brought in quality in the selection of juries for the festival over the years. Seeing that growth, seeing the cultivating of a new audience, a cult following if I can say that, given how many of them have been on this journey with us since year one. It’s something to be proud of.
Q: It is, and I’d want to turn my attention to those who bring it all together. How much of this is down to the team here at IFA?
It’s important to note that honestly. Yes, it’s very important to have a team that believes in what you are trying to do, your vision and your goals for the platform. Across all facets, once this is achieved, there is a team that gets the assignment, purpose, and sense of direction, that is on the same page and can work to help you achieve that vision. The vision here is to award, reward, honour and spotlight filmmakers who are creating outside the box, and the team is all on deck for that.
Q: I’ve definitely seen that over the last two days. I want to ask, how situating the festival here at New Culture Studios came about because this is a historic building, created by one of the Zaria rebels, foremost architect and designer, Demas Nwoko, and I wonder about its relevance to the vision IFA is trying to achieve.
I like to call it divine coincidence, a beautiful coincidence. Why I say that is this: the great Demas Nwoko, his artistic philosophy is independence and what we do here is to celebrate independent filmmakers. The building itself has so much historical significance, being the historical space for Demas Nwoko and many of the Mbari Club members like Wole Soyinka, who graced this building as others of their ilk did. All of these figures embodied independence in their art, thinking outside the box.
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The space has this natural sense to it for artists, where they can just come in, and commune with the space and its beautiful scenery and architecture, and it just feels like the right place to celebrate independent artists (in this case, filmmakers through IFA).
Q: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in crafting this festival year in and year out as an independent forum?
One of the biggest challenges is definitely funding, but I think I’d like to focus on one that I think is just as important: time.
Members of the core team have other commitments that are just as important. I’m an independent filmmaker, Rufus is an independent artist, ‘Chukwu Martin is also an independent filmmaker. So the villain here is time. We need to make sure that we manage the time we have to plan and implement, and we’re grateful to God that we were able to come through this year. The second, as I mentioned earlier is funding!(laughs)
If we have more, we’ll be able to do a lot more than we’ve been able to do, so funding. And meaningful collaborations. Seamless collaborations and non-toxic collaborations. Yeah.
Q: How does this year’s theme fit into the larger vision for IFA as an institution for indie filmmakers to show their unorthodox expression?
It’s important. We are connected to a few other indie festivals, one of which is The Annual Film Mischief by FilmRats. What we are trying to do is advocate for the new wave, and shoot the culture. This is one of the platforms to advocate for that new wave, which is here to stay, whether they like it or not. In the end, people will get tired of the predictable tales they’re fed and look for something more. This is something more, that new wave we must imbibe and stay true to, if we must create films that stand the test of time.
Q: Over the last two days, we’ve experienced twenty-plus films. Looking back at the experience, what’s one moment that you’re proud of, considering this particular edition?
Hmm, that’s a brilliant question. I think beyond just curating these films and getting the right jurors to weigh in on selections, nominations and the eventual winners, I think it was important for the audience to get it, and I think one big congratulations for the team is that the audience did. Every selected film shown at IFA over the two days was met with sonorous applause and reception and that gives us hope. Hope that yes, the audience isn’t dumb. They know what they want, and they can be eclectic in the choice of films to consume. The fact that they received it with such love is something that I’m really really proud of.
Q: In the course of the year, IFA started doing monthly screenings too, in addition to the annual festival model that a lot of festivals only implement. What was the push for that?
That’s another brilliant question that I think we need to get out there. People need to understand that we are not a film festival platform; we are a community of indie filmmakers and lovers, and we believe in that sense of community. Every film that was submitted for consideration this year is unique in its way, but sadly, we cannot pick all as official selections.
We are very big on carrying the Indie artists and filmmakers along and we believe that even though, for now, we only have the capacity for at most a three-day festival, some of these unique voices need to be heard. It can’t be only a yearly thing. We decided to have this monthly screening, so that these filmmakers can be spotlit, have their films shown to an audience and interact with them.
The idea is a community, in the sense of the tales by moonlight vibe. Mats on the floor, cosy location, commune with the audience, live feedback and interaction. We can, with this, spotlight these films that don’t necessarily get selected at the yearly festivals, platforming these artists. Certain films that have been screened at the festival may even get to be screened again if we feel the conversation around them hasn’t ended. It’s really important.
Q: I’d also like to ask, as far as your role as director of IFA is concerned, what is the bigger picture and plans for IFA as a cultural institution for the years to come?
It’s important that we don’t lose our sense of direction. This platform is here to celebrate independent and unorthodox filmmakers. People like us. I screened today also, so I can’t say them, it’s us. We want more visibility. We want to reach as many independent and unorthodox voices as we can. People are still in their bedrooms with films thinking there is no platform for them because they can’t get into mainstream festivals.
No, IFA is that home for them and we need visibility, partnerships, amplification and publicity for all of these things to happen. I think these are some of the things I look forward to in the near future.
Q: My final question is this: how does IFA see expanding outside of Ibadan into Nigerian states with little to no spotlit art communities? How does IFA plan to bridge these gaps?
I can remember vividly, during our last IG live session before the last IFA, one of the important points made by myself and Rufus Nwoko (grandson of the great Demas Nwoko) is spreading the gospel of indie filmmaking and our platform beyond Ibadan. But I’ll say this, for us, it’s one step at a time. Let us have that solid cult following here and we can consider moving to other cities. Maybe other cities in the southwest, the East, the North; who knows?
This is why we are so particular about the name Indie Film Awards. It could be the Abuja Indie Film Awards, it could be Abeokuta Indie Film Wards, it could be the Kano Indie Film Awards, it could be the Port Harcourt Indie Film Awards. The important thing is that there will be this platform, the indie film awards in these places and I’m glad that you touched on that. The idea, in the end, is to connect all of these communities and that is our focus, long-term.