ABOUT THE FILM
SYNOPSIS
By Andy Amadi Okoroafor
After receiving Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia Demas Nwoko, The master sets us on a journey of discovery and reflection full of integrity, honesty and enlightenment. He tells us the Demas Nwoko story.. in his own words !!
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
The Demas Nwoko film has taken an interesting turn for me as a filmmaker. When I first visited Pa Demas in Idumuje, Ugboko some 5 years ago, with Ese Brume, the direction of the film was different. After spending the day talking about the film, I left with the conviction of what the film I want to do will be about. Integrity and honesty in the process are keys to the story I wanted to tell. That was a real catalyst for me. The initial direction was shelved until the external circumstance most importantly the Venice biennale brought everyone back to the right path and the film became very much easier to birth creatively.
This is a film where his architectural work takes centre stage. But his life and creative journey is much bigger than that..the river of his creative genius flows through different art works, disciplines and decades. Most important for me as a Filmmaker is his journey, his own unique journey that can never be by anyone else but him. How this exceptional, major artist came to be and the impact he has made. His journey is an inspiration to all of us. It is a universal story, this is THE film of Demas Nwoko that l am hoping to make.
PRODUCER’S NOTE
My sister Jite, an architect first spoke to me about the incredible architectural buildings of Demas Nwoko as we followed the convoy carrying my late father’s body to rest in Ubogo, Delta in 2011. I vividly remember her pointing to an original and very different looking building saying it may be one of Demas Nwoko’s creations. My sister and I both share this love for the arts in all forms, especially when it takes its source from our indigenous African culture.
The more I discovered of his rich universe: physical and philosophical; material and immaterial, the more was fueled my desire to let the world know about this man and the philosophy of his practice which is grounded entirely on the perpetuation of our traditional culture as the only valid one for our new nation extract from his book Concrete Thinking, published in 2022. I bonded with his grandson, Unno Nwoko, a photographer and theatre director in the making, custodian of the impressive amphitheater: New Culture Studios, standing solidly on the hills of Mokola Oremeji in Ibadan. It was an experiment, a trial test, built by Baba in the 1970s. How can this beautiful, mind- blowing monument just be sitting there, unused, uncelebrated, unfinished? I was truly in awe as I also discovered the different facets of Baba: he is a dancer, a playwright, a university lecturer, an artist, creator of New Culture magazines.
My desire to make a film befitting of Baba Demas Nwoko has taken many twists and turns; from Nigeria to Poland to Cameroon, I have been searching for the right collaborator. And when Andy Amadi Okoroafor, the filmmaker and creative director who I had convinced in December 2018 to embark on the cinematographic journey with me and who made the trip to Idumuje Ugboko where we received Baba’s permission and blessings to make this film, when he reached out to me again in February this year with the news that “my Baba” would be receiving the Lifetime Achievement award for his works at the Architecture Biennale in Venice and that he was now ready to do the film with me, I was elated. We started production. These few months working with Andy have already taken the film to the creative and artistic level worthy of Baba. Indeed, Andy is as meticulous and exigent as Baba in his artistic standards.