The Nigerian filmmaker told IndieWire he was searching for his place in the world when the deity appeared to him. Soon, he was making an Oscar contender centered on her rich mythos. It all started ...

A folkloric African water deity is the titular focus of Mami Wata, the Sundance-premiering film from writer-director C.J. “Fiery” Obasi. The revered Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) serves as the conduit ...

The seaside village of Iyi is the setting for C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s mythical Mami Wata, which chronicles the fraught relationship between an all-powerful African water deity and the villagers who are ...

Nigerian director C.J. “Fiery” Obasi‘s Mami Wata is a festival first for Sundance. The exquisitely shot film, cast in black and white, is the first Nigerian film to debut at the festival. At the ...

Filmmaker C.J. Obasi’s project has received rave reviews, earning the Special Jury Award for cinematography at the festival. From thrilling documentaries to powerful dramas, the Sundance Film Festival ...

An onyx sea, white rippled through inky black, foams away in the moonlight. Grasping for sand it whispers and burbles, as if talking to the shore. On the beach two women stand, deep in discussion ...

Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Director C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata is a monochromatic feast for the eyes that wants you to think about what it means ...

C.J. 'Fiery' Obasi's third feature, which won the Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize in Cinematography, weaves the lore of a water deity into a propulsive narrative of village change.

The film Mami Wata is doing something different. Firstly, while many (well-made) films set on the African continent — at least those made by Africans themselves anyway — often take the time to show ...

Hot on the tail of a recent slew of pickups and sales, Paris-based sales-producer-distributor Alief has snapped up international rights to the West African folktale “Mami Wata.” North America rights ...

A priestess serves as the intermediary for a water spirit in this poetic stunner, the first homegrown Nigerian film to debut at the festival. Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the ...