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C.J. Obasi

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C.J. Obasi
Other namesC. J. "Fiery" Obasi, "Fiery" , "The Fiery One"
EducationUniversity of Nigeria
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, editor
Years active2011–present
AwardsBest Nigerian film, trailblazer of the year award
Websitewww.afieryfilm.com

C.J. Obasi listenⓘ (also known as "Fiery" or "The Fiery One") is a Nigerian film director, screenwriter and editor.[1][2][3]

His debut feature – a zero budget film Ojuju premiered at the Africa International Film Festival in November 2014, and won the award for Best Nigerian Film.[2] It also got him the Trailblazer of the Year award in March 2015, at the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCA).[3][2]

His third feature, Mami Wata, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize in the World Dramatic Competition for the film's cinematography.[1] [4]

Early life and career

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Born in the city of Owerri, the capital city of Imo State, Nigeria, Obasi grew up watching Hammer Horror films, reading Stephen King novels and watching film adaptations of his work. From the young age of 3, he would watch classic films and his favorite superheroes and villains; recreating them in hand-drawn comic books.[3]

After attending the Government Secondary School, Owerri, Obasi studied computer science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, southeastern Nigeria. In 2012, he set up Fiery Film Company, with his wife, the TV and film producer, Oge Obasi and the late screenwriter Benjamin Stockton.[5]

Obasi's directorial debut came in 2014 with Ojuju; a zombie thriller film. The movie was screened in various festivals around the world, including the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, Shockproof Film Festival in Prague, New Voices in Black Film Festival in New York, Nollywood Week Festival in Paris, Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, Africa International Film Festival where it won the award of the Best Nigerian Film and others; garnering universal acclaim from the likes of internationally renowned critics such as Todd Brown of Twitch Film, Tambay A. Obenson of Shadow and Act, and Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter.[6] Remarkably, Ojuju is a zero budget movie.

His second film, O-Town, was released in 2015 to even more critical acclaim. A crime thriller, O-Town, also written by Obasi, tells the tale of a small town mired in crime. O-Town was inspired by Owerri, the place where Obasi was born.

In 2018, Obasi directed the film adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor's africanfuturistic short story "Hello, Moto". The short film, Hello, Rain, stars Keira Hewatch as Rain, a scientist and witch.[7] In February 2017, Fiery Film Production optioned the short story and began production.[8]

It had its world premiere at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, on 6 May 2018.[9]

Mami Wata

Obasi first came up with and began developing Mami Wata in 2016.[10] After writing a few drafts, he took part in a number of labs to help refine the script. In an interview with CNN, Obasi stated he "wanted to make a hyper-stylised film" with its style rooted in substance, taking inspiration from his favourite filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa and David Lynch.[11] The characters Prisca and Zinwe were inspired by Obasi's late sisters. Production companies attached to Mami Wata include Obasi's Fiery Film Company, Guguru Studios, Palmwine Media, Swiss Fund Visions Sud Est, and Ifind Pictures of France.[12] Principal photography took place on location in the rural villages of Benin and wrapped in January 2021.[10] At the Sundance Film Festival, cinematographer Lílis Soares won the Special Jury Prize in the World Dramatic Competition for the film's cinematography.[13] It also picked up three awards at FESPACO - Prix de la Critique Pauline S. Vieyra (African Critics Award), Meilleure Image (Cinematography Award) and Meilleur Décor (Set Design Award).[14] It was acquired by Dekanalog for North American distribution.[15]

In October 2023, it was selected as the Nigerian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards by The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC).[16] It has been nominated in the Best International Film category of the 39th Independent Spirit Awards.[17]

Filmography

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Title Year Production Company Role
Ojuju 2014 Fiery Film Company Writer, Director, Editor
O-Town 2015 Fiery Film Company Writer, director, editor
Visions: An Anthology of Short Films 2017 Surreal16 Collective Co-writer, co-director [18][19]
Hello, Rain 2018 Fiery Film Company

Igodo Films

Matanya Films

Writer, director [20]
Lionheart 2018 The Entertainment Network (T.E.N)

Netflix

Co-writer
Living in Bondage: Breaking Free 2019 Play Network Studios

Natives Filmworks

Michelangelo Productions

Co-writer [21]
Juju Stories 2021 20 Pounds Production

Ifind Pictures

Fiery Film

Osiris Creatives

Cine9ja

Co-writer, co-director
Mami Wata 2023 Fiery Film Company

Ifind Pictures

PalmWine Media

Guguru Studios

Writer, director

References

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  1. ^ "Interview with C.J. Obasi from Fiery Film". Odd Magazine. 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "'Every single day I spent not being a film-maker was torture to me.' - C.J. 'Fiery' Obasi | 360Nobs.com". www.360nobs.com. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b c FP. "Nollywood Spotlight: C.J. Obasi | Fried Plantains". Fried Plaintains. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  4. ^ "The Complete List of 2023 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners - sundance.org". 27 January 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  5. ^ FP. "Nollywood Spotlight: C.J. Obasi | Fried Plantains". Fried Plaintains. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  6. ^ Citation error. See inline comment how to fix. [verification needed]
  7. ^ Izuzu, Chidumga. "Meet the cast of "Hello, Rain," a sci-fi Nollywood film that merges magic and technology". Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  8. ^ Dayo, Bernard (19 June 2018). "CJ Obasi: The Genre Filmmaker Nollywood Needs". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  9. ^ "CJ Obasi's Afrofuturistic Film, "Hello, Rain" To Premiere At Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen Short Film Festival". TNS. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  10. ^ a b "MAMI WATA goes to venice!". Fiery Film. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  11. ^ Page, Thomas (13 February 2023). "With Sundance winner 'Mami Wata,' CJ 'Fiery' Obasi is redefining what it means to be a Nigerian filmmaker". CNN Style. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  12. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (24 January 2023). "Nigeria's CJ Obasi on how West African folklore inspired Sundance title 'Mami Wata'". Screen International. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  13. ^ Donnelly, Matt; Debruge, Peter (27 January 2023). "Sundance Winners: 'A Thousand and One' Takes U.S. Dramatic Jury Prize (Complete List)". Variety. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  14. ^ Husseini, Shaibu (11 March 2023). "Award Haul for C.J Obasi's Mami Wata At FESPACO". The Guardian Nigeria. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  15. ^ Ntim, Zack (18 May 2023). "'Mami Wata:' West African Folktale Lands U.S. Deal Following Sundance Debut". Deadline. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  16. ^ The Scoove, Africa (16 October 2023). "CJ Obasi's "Mami Wata" is Nigeria's Official Submission to the 96th Oscars". The Scoove Africa. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Mami Wata". 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  18. ^ Izuzu, Chidumga. "Watch teaser for an anthology of three short films "Visions" by 3 unconventional filmmakers". Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  19. ^ Orubo, Daniel (31 July 2017). "'Visions': An Anthology Of Short Films By Three Unconventional Nollywood Filmmakers". Konbini Nigeria. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  20. ^ Animashaun, Damilola (4 January 2018). "Watch: Teaser For 'Hello, Rain', A Short Film Based On Nnedi Okorafor's 'Hello, Moto'". Konbini Nigeria. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  21. ^ Gbenga, Bada (31 October 2019). "'Living in Bondage: Breaking Free' is perfect for Ramsey Nouah's directorial debut (Review)". pulse.ng.[permanent dead link]
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