Award-winning actress and CEO of The Make It Happen Productions, Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, is set to unveil her new short film titled ‘FINE’ in conjunction with Joy, Inc. (joyinc.xyz), a human flourishing company and Y!TV on 9 October 2019, at the residence of the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria in Lagos.

‘FINE’ which recently premiered at the Nollywood Week Paris Film Festival, focuses on mental wellness, depression, anxiety and other issues about mental health and has aligned its goals to counter mental illness in partnership with Joy, Inc.’s new initiative known as the Mad Against Depression and Anxiety (MADA) Network to be announced on World Mental Health Day. This network of professionals and influential personalities exist with the goal to combine their resources and experience in order to fight depression in Nigeria, while also shedding light on mental illness and pertinent actions that can be employed in dealing with these issues.

Speaking about the film, Lala Akindoju, CEO of The Make It Happen Productions said, “Mental illness can be physically and emotionally trying and people do not really understand the fact that mental health conditions are now very common and widespread. This film shows how it seem people’s lives are under control in public but they are battered with depression and anxiety.”

“We tried as much as possible to enlighten people to get help and reach out to friends and family when facing challenges. We are also really excited Joy, Inc. came onboard with the MADA Network which will help push our key messages across the globe,” she said.

Chude Jideonwo, the founder of Joy, Inc., explained how vital it is to educate people about mental wellness in Nigeria and help them with the provision of proper human and material resources to combat the problem.

“All we want to do with the MADA network is to lead conversations on mental health, and direct people to safe places and facilities where they can seek help. Depression and anxiety can make one miserable and cause problems in daily life. We want people to be aware that there are effective ways of preventing and dealing with these conditions.“ he said.

According to the National Depression Report released by Joy, Inc. in partnership with NOIPolls in 2018, one out of every three Nigerian is at risk of depression, while the country has the seventh-highest rate of suicide in Africa.

‘FINE’ is co-written and directed by Odenike and it stars Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, Odenike, Tiere Osundilire and Jennifer Alegieuno.