The trailer for Nadine Ibrahim’s upcoming short film Tolu continues in the tradition of utilising child characters to tell stories. Through Her Eyes, released 2017, is a deeply moving account of a young girl’s internal journey to pulling off a suicide attack in Northern Nigeria. More importantly, the short film explores the rise of child terrorism.
First of all, we are happy to see Halimat Olanrewaju who was a force of nature on Ifeoma Chukwuogo’s Bariga Sugar, get a new role that allows her flex her chops as an actress so soon after her debut.
In Tolu, the girl child is the film’s centerpiece, and tells the story of the titular character who lives with her family in a small fishing community in Nigeria, and sets out to break gender stereotypes and prove herself beyond societal expectations. The story is fraught with a keen familiarity, only that it’s mostly narrated and developed through the fictional lives of older women. “Tolu is a short film trying to do something that is rarely seen in Nigerian films. The use of visual effects to enhance the beauty and narrative of the story.” Ibrahim said in a press statement.
Watching the trailer, I couldn’t find anything particularly outstanding in the visuals department. Tolu looks like Nadine Ibrahim used a decent amount of technical process in the shooting; the aerial shot of a slowly-moving canoe on water helps with the film’s portrayal of landscape and habitat. But it’s too early to be critical. The upcoming short features an ensemble of Somkele Iyamah, Wale Ojo, Halimat Olanrewaju and Karibi Fubara. Tolu is a collaborative effort between Naila Media and Asurf Films, and its release date is yet to announced. Check out the trailer below.
When Bernard Dayo isn’t writing about pop culture, he’s watching horror movies and reading comics and trying to pretend his addiction to Netflix isn’t a serious condition.
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