On April 14, 2019, concerned Nigerians, especially mothers, women right groups, girl-child advocacy groups, among others commemorated the fifth anniversary of the abduction of 276 girls at the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State by Boko Haram.
For those who really do not feel the impact of the kidnapping, Joel Kachi Benson, a budding filmmaker, brings the tears closer to their eyes, as he lends his camera to the ‘Chibok Girls’ cause, exploring the town and the impact of the kidnap on affected families and the community as a whole.
The filmmaker noted for his short film, ‘In Bakassi’, engages viewers in his latest movie, ‘Daughters of Chibok’, which captures the reality of the kidnap, the sustained agony of the parents, the justice delayed/ denied, the politics being played, and sadly, people taking advantage of the situation for self-gain while the affected families still wallow in penury.
The 11- minute film, which is the first-ever virtual reality film on Chibok, centres on Rifkatu Yakubu, one of the kidnapped girls. It is emotional and chronicles the trauma, which Rikatu’s family continued to live in after she was kidnapped.
‘Daughters of Chibok’ also sees Rifkatu’s mother narrating how she got married at a young age, had eight children, and how life has been since then.
If you were at one of the venues across the country where the movie premiered on April 14, 2019, especially selected parks and gardens in Lagos, you would appreciate the creative ingenuity of the filmmaker, who managed to capture real life situations of the parents of the yet-to-return girls amid emotions.
At the Lagos Freedom Park, one of the venues, some of the viewers were so emotional that they abandoned the movie halfway.
Same situation repeated in June when British Council hosted the screening of the VR documentary of ‘Daughters of Chibok’ at its premises in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Most importantly, the screening, organised by VR360 Stories, in partnership with Imisi 3d, Northeast Humanitarian Innovation Hub, and the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, doubled as a fundraiser for the mothers of the missing girls.
The fundraising, according to Benson, was necessary because the womenfolk of Chibok play vital role in sustaining their families, and it is important that they receive support, while waiting for the return of their daughters
“It is one thing to lose your child and spend years waiting for her return, and it is another to still be living in abject poverty. We must remember that these women have other children to cater for, and when you do not have the means of taking care of them, that is extra pain. If we cannot bring back their girls now, at least we should be able to do something about their economic situation,” he said.
However, Benson is being rewarded for lending his camera to capture the plights of the kidnapped girls, their parents and the entire Chibok town as Daughters of Chibok has been selected for screening at the upcoming 76th Venice International Film Festival in Italy.
Venice International Film Festival, which is the oldest film festival in the world, introduced the virtual reality film competition in 2017 to celebrate and recognise films made using Virtual Reality ( VR) technology. It is the first Alist film festival to toe in that path. Over 30 immersive stories were selected for in-competition and out-ofcompetition for this year’s edition. Popularly known as Venice VR, the festival looks at linear and interactive content.
Daughters of Chibok is competing in the linear content category. Among 12 other VR films selected from around the world, Benson’s film, from Nigeria, is the only VR documentary from the continent. Other countries competing in the category include; France, China, Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, USA, Italy, Taiwan and Israel.
The films will be judged by an international jury, who will determine the winners for Best VR, Best VR Experience for Interactive Content and Best VR Story for Linear Content awards respectively.
Thrilled by his nomination, Benson stated that the role of VR in today’s filmmaking cannot be over emphasised.
“I am excited about the opportunity this gives us to share authentic African stories with the world. VR is an important tool for communication and it is delightful to know that festivals like Venice have the foresight to see its impact on the future of storytelling and are celebrating it.”
He added that, “We are excited that Daughters of Chibok is going to a platform as big as the Venice Film Festival, where the audience can have the opportunity to visit Chibok – a place that many have heard of but have never been to.
Benson is currently exploring avenues for commercial distribution of the film, and plans to use the proceeds to support the mothers of the girls that are still missing.
Benson’s love for virtual reality started in 2018, when he was commissioned to produce a 360 degree video for a client. That project opened his eyes to the potential of VR as a powerful and reformative tool for storytelling. His first VR film was ‘In Bakassi’, a short film that captures the plight of children living with PTSD in Internally Displaced Persons Camps in the northeast region.
The 76th Venice International Film Festival will run from August 28 to September 7, 2019. The festival is organised by La Biennale di Venezia, and will take place at Venice Lido.
