Nigeria and UK / 1993 / 50mins / Documentary / English

Two young Wakirke women offer opposing attitudes toward the Iria, the ritual by which Nigerian women are recognized as being suitable for marriage.

Ngozi Onwurah

Ngozi Onwurah was born in 1966 in Nigeria to a Nigerian father, and a white British mother, Madge Onwurah. As a child, Onwurah’s mother was forced to flee with her children from Nigeria in order to escape a Civil War. They fled to England, where Ngozi and her brother Simon spent the majority of their childhood. During their youth, they endured much racial discrimination, which influenced many of her films. Onwurah, studied at St. Martin’s School of Art and the National Film and Television School. She has been directing her own films since 1988, starting with Coffee Colored Children and Best Wishes. She has also written several of the films she directs, including Hang Time. She has directed a number of challenging short films, often foregrounding issues important to black women. Her first feature film, Welcome II the Terrordome, won first prize at the Birmingham International Film Festival, the Cologne Film Festival and the Audience Prize at the Verona Film Festival. Her most recent film, Shoot the Messenger, was produced in 2006. Onwurah’s films have won prizes at the Berlin Film Festival, Germany; Melbourne Film Festival, Australia; Toronto Film Festival, Canada; and at NBPC, USA. Learn More