GDN Studios

13/11/2022

The multi-award-winning Nigerian feature film Eyimofe is now available on the streaming platform, Prime Video.

Click the link below to watch it!

https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Eyimofe-This-is-My-Desire/0PZCB2JC9KWL5YJ42SJLVW88BS

Eyimofe, directed by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri, is also now airing on Warner Bros Discovery-owned US streaming platform HBO Max.

The movie follows the experiences of two strangers who are not even related as they each attempt to establish a new life in Europe while coming up against hard financial realities.

Temi Ami-Williams portrays a hairdresser who is helping her pregnant adolescent sister, while Jude Akuwudike plays an electrician suffering with the effects of a family tragedy.

Eyimofe made history in July 2021 when it became the first movie produced in Nigeria to be featured on the Criterion Collection, a grouping whose goal it is to acquire the best movies ever created and release them on DVD and Blu-ray. Over 1,000 movies are part of the renowned Criterion Collection.

Additionally making history in 2021, Eyimofe was the first movie from Nigeria to receive an NAACP Image Award nomination.

Presented by GDN Studios and produced by Melissa Adeyemo, the film, which has Lady Maiden Alex Ibru, T**e Alex Ibru, and Olorogun Oskar Ibru among its executive producers, won five awards at the 2021 Africa Movie Academy Awards, including the prestigious Best Director and Best Nigerian Film awards.

In 2021, The Guardian of the UK selected Eyimofe and nine other films for inclusion on a shortlist of the best movies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Eyimofe and four other films from Africa made the exclusive 10-film list that the leading British media outlet asked its writers to compile of their favourite recent global film releases.

Selected alongside Eyimofe, were Faya Dayi (Ethiopia), The Gravedigger’s Wife (Djibouti), The Rumba Kings (DR Congo), and Feathers (Egypt).

Others are The Great Indian Kitchen (India), Manco Cápac (Peru), I am Belmaya (Nepal), Antara: Songs of Afternoon (Bangladesh), and Suspensión (Colombia).

09/11/2022

Award-winning Nigerian feature film Eyimofe is now airing on Warner Bros Discovery-owned US streaming platform HBO Max.

Directed by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri, Eyimofe traces the journeys of two distantly connected strangers as they each pursue their dream of starting a new life in Europe while bumping up against harsh economic realities.

Jude Akuwudike plays an electrician dealing with the fallout from a family tragedy, while Temi Ami-Williams plays a hairdresser supporting her pregnant teenage sister.

Eyimofe, in July 2021, made history as the first and only Nigerian made film to be included on the Criterion Collection, an assemblage dedicated to getting the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in DVD and Blu-ray formats. The Criterion Collection is renowned and includes over 1,000 films.

Eyimofe also made history in 2021 as the first Nigerian film to earn an NAACP Image Awards nomination.

Presented by GDN Studios and produced by Melissa Adeyemo, the film, which has Lady Maiden Alex Ibru, T**e Alex Ibru, and Olorogun Oskar Ibru among its executive producers, won five awards at the 2021 Africa Movie Academy Awards, including the prestigious Best Director and Best Nigerian Film awards.

The year 2021 also saw Eyimofe getting picked along with nine others on a shortlist of top films from Africa, Asia, and Latin America by The Guardian of the UK.

The top British media organisation commissioned its writers to pick their favourite recent world cinema releases and Eyimofe and four other films from Africa ended up on the exclusive 10-film list.

Selected alongside Eyimofe, were Faya Dayi (Ethiopia), The Gravedigger’s Wife (Djibouti), The Rumba Kings (DR Congo), and Feathers (Egypt).

Others are The Great Indian Kitchen (India), Manco Cápac (Peru), I am Belmaya (Nepal), Antara: Songs of Afternoon (Bangladesh), and Suspensión (Colombia).

Visit www.eyimofemovie.com for more.

19/01/2022

Nigerian feature film, Eyimofe (This Is My Desire), has made history as the first Nigerian film to earn an NAACP Image Awards nomination.

Nigerian feature film, Eyimofe (This Is My Desire), has made history as the first Nigerian film to earn an NAACP Image Awards nomination. Directed by the Esiri twins – Arie and Chuko Esiri – and presented by GDN Studios, a subsidiary of The Guardian Group, publishers of The Guardian newspapers, ...

31/12/2021

Happy New Year! Thank you so much for being there for us in 2021. Wishing all the best to our amazing and loyal followers as we head into 2022!

26/12/2021

Eyimofe, the multiple award-winning Nigerian feature film, has been picked along with nine others on a shortlist of top films from Africa, Asia and Latin America by The Guardian of the UK.

The top British media organisation commissioned its writers to pick their favourite recent world cinema releases and Eyimofe and four other films from Africa ended up on the exclusive 10-film list.

Selected alongside Eyimofe, were Faya Dayi (Ethiopia), The Gravedigger’s Wife (Djibouti), The Rumba Kings (DR Congo), and Feathers (Egypt).

Others are The Great Indian Kitchen (India), Manco Cápac (Peru), I am Belmaya (Nepal), Antara: Songs of Afternoon (Bangladesh), and Suspensión (Colombia).

Emmanuel Akinwotu, the West Africa correspondent of The Guardian (UK), described Eyimofe (This is My Desire in Yoruba) as “a beautifully subtle and moving film that follows two unrelated people, Mofe and Rosa, who are both full of dreams of leaving overwhelming economic struggles in Nigeria for a fresh start in Europe.”

He added: “Just as striking as their layered, individual stories, which each form half of the film, is the backdrop of Lagos and how it is depicted by debut film-makers, twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri. Shot entirely in 16mm, the film offers a sensitive and pensive illustration of a city that is often cast as teeming and frenetic, full of vibrancy and the extremes of wealth and poverty. Yet in Eyimofe, the reality of working-class life is shown with nuance, hope and hopelessness.

“In the intense struggles of the main characters to leave Nigeria, the film spotlights the desperation of migrants, while revealing, but not demonising, the world they fight to escape.”

Presented by GDN Studios, Eyimofe was produced by Melissa Adeyemo.

The film, which has Lady Maiden Alex Ibru, T**e Alex Ibru, and Olorogun Oskar Ibru among its executive producers, won five awards at the 2021 Africa Movie Academy Awards, including the prestigious Best Director and Best Nigerian Film awards.

Visit www.eyimofemovie.com for more.

25/12/2021

In the intense struggles of the main characters to leave Nigeria, EYIMOFE spotlights the desperation of migrants, while revealing, but not demonising, the world they fight to escape.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/dec/24/the-world-on-screen-the-years-best-movies-from-africa-asia-and-latin-america

From a Somali love story to a deep dive into Congolese rumba, Guardian writers pick their favourite recent world cinema releases

29/11/2021

Eyimofe has won five awards at the 2021 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), including the prestigious Best Director and Best Nigerian Film awards.

Nominated in seven of the 26 categories, prior to Sunday’s AMAA, the GDN Studios-produced film also came out tops in the Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best First Film by a Director categories.

Organised by the Africa Film Academy, the AMAA 2021 Gala and award took place at the Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, Nigeria.

And present to pick up the awards was Chuko Esiri, who directed the award-winning Nigerian feature film alongside his twin brother Arie Esiri.

The AMAA is the biggest gathering of filmmakers and other creatives in Africa, and has been taking place annually since its inaugural event in 2005.

12/11/2021

Congratulations to Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru for taking home this year’s American Red Cross/ Tiffany Circle Courage to Dream Award.

The award was given to the humanitarian, film producer, Publisher and Chairperson of The Guardian Group at the Asian World Film Festival for her philanthropic efforts and for exemplifying the mission of the Red Cross.

We salute you Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru for having the courage to dream.

12/11/2021

Congratulations to Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru for taking home this year’s American Red Cross/ Tiffany Circle Courage to Dream Award.

The award was given to the humanitarian, film producer, Publisher and Chairman of The Guardian Group at the Asian World Film Festival for her philanthropic efforts and for exemplifying the mission of the Red Cross, as well as engaging in the work of the Red Cross in a major way.

06/11/2021

The Asian World Film Festival is ongoing in Los Angeles, California. This time around, the foremost window to Asian world cinema has a ‘WINDOWS TO AFRICA’ section that is proudly sponsored by GDN Studios; the outfit behind the award-winning feature film ‘Eyimofe’ (This Is My Desire).

Get your tickets for the ‘special screening’ of Eyimofe at The Landmark Theatres on November 8 here:⬇️
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/awff-2021-special-screening-eyimofe-this-is-my-desire-nigeria-tickets-201877108867

05/11/2021

Ṣàngó was one of the most powerful Yoruba rulers of all-time. But he was no ordinary man; he was the god of thunder and lightning.

‘Dawn of Thunder’ tells the story of his supernatural rise from a warrior king to a god!

You can catch a sneak peek of this upcoming animated feature film in the ‘WINDOWS TO AFRICA’ section at the on-going Asian World Film Festival by sending an email to [email protected].

The ‘WINDOWS TO AFRICA’ section is proudly sponsored by GDN Studios.

01/11/2021

The Asian World Film Festival is underway in Los Angeles, California. This time around, the foremost window to Asian world cinema has a ‘WINDOWS TO AFRICA’ section that is proudly sponsored by GDN Studios; the outfit behind the award-winning feature film ‘Eyimofe’ (This Is My Desire).

Discover more about the GDN Studios-sponsored ‘WINDOWS TO AFRICA’ here:⬇️
https://asianworldfilmfest.org/2021-festival-line-up

01/11/2021

The Asian World Film Festival is underway in Los Angeles, California. This time around, the foremost window to Asian world cinema has a ‘WINDOWS TO AFRICA’ section that is proudly sponsored by GDN Studios; the outfit behind the upcoming animated feature film ‘Dawn of Thunder’.

Discover more about the GDN Studios-sponsored ‘WINDOWS TO AFRICA’ here:⬇️
https://asianworldfilmfest.org/2021-festival-line-up

25/10/2021

Temi Ami-Williams, star of EYIMOFE (This Is My Desire), has become the first Nigerian actress to win a prize at FESPACO, Africa's most prestigious film festival.
https://guardian.ng/life/eyimofe-star-temi-ami-williams-makes-history-at-fespaco/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&Echobox=1635188104

Temi Ami-Williams, star of the award-winning Nigerian feature film EYIMOFE (This Is My Desire), has made history by becoming the first Nigerian actress to win a prize at Africa’s biggest and most prestigious film festival, the Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou. Miss Ami-Willi...

01/10/2021

Happy Independence Day, Nigeria 🇳🇬🇳🇬!

29/08/2021

The World Cinema Jury Award is the second award Eyimofe will be bagging in the month of August, having earlier emerged as the Best Feature Narrative at this year’s BlackStar Film Festival, in Pennsylvania.

Nigerian feature film, Eyimofe (This Is My Desire), on Saturday, emerged winner of the Jury Award at the 11th edition of the World Cinema Amsterdam Competition, in the Netherlands. In their debut film, twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri painted a realistic portrait of everyday life in Nigeria’s la...

27/08/2021

Now Playing! Lagos on Parade in Winning Drama ‘Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)’
One of the most inviting and rewarding African films in recent years, Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) vividly explores perhaps the most irresistible theme in movies: the urge for a better life. Nigerian twin brothers Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri’s debut feature, opening Aug. 27 at the Little Roxie (), San Francisco’s iconic non-profit cinema, may hit the expected road markers—likable protagonists, unforeseen setbacks, wrenching compromises, smiling determination—but it does so without sacrificing freshness or charm.

Get your tickets here: https://bit.ly/EyimofeAtLittleRoxieSF

Brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri’s debut feature is a vivid, vibrant film about universal dreams of a better life.

25/08/2021

“We have the highest paid politicians in the world. They make millions. You have a lot of individuals who are like athletes drafted into the NBA or the NFL, basically they have five to 10 years to make all of their money.” Chuko Esiri

Presented at the San Francisco International Film Festival in April, This Is My Desire opened in movie theaters in the US and Canada in July and August.