Synopsis
A young Nigerian man is rejected by his father at his mother’s funeral because he is different…
About
Director’s statement
“Obi is a Boy” is a deeply personal film. I grew up very aware that I was falling short of the expectations society had for me as a boy. It bothered me for years, and I tried to fix myself. But as I got older, I began to appreciate my difference. I didn’t need to be like other boys; I had to learn my own version of masculinity. The film draws directly from this experience. Through Obi, I examine my fraught relationship with gender norms in Nigeria and narrate my own journey toward acceptance. His return home, and the tension with his father, reflects the broader reality of what happens when identity challenges cultural and societal expectations. Obi’s final act–choosing to inhabit his femininity openly–is not a declaration made in safety, but an act of survival. Obi Is a Boy is my way of challenging the narratives that erase queer lives in Nigeria. It is a story about the cost of authenticity, the weight of inherited expectations, and the small but powerful gestures through which we reclaim ourselves.
