Written by Aisha Salaudeen, CNNLagos, Nigeria
Two women lay in bed in a tight embrace, one is stroking the other's hair and whispers that she is in love with her.
These intimate scenes wouldn't be out of place in a Hollywood movie, but in Nigeria's film industry, Nollywood, they are near taboo.
But Nigerian filmmaker Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim says she is tackling the subject head-on in her new film titled "Ife," to create space for queer characters in the country's prolific movie industry.
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"Ife'" means love in the Yoruba language, spoken in West Africa, and most prominently in southern Nigeria.
LGBTQ characters are described poorly in Nollywood and are viewed in problematic roles that encourage violence or judgment from viewers, Ikpe-Etim says.
"I'm queer so 'Ife' is dear to my heart. I wanted to represent LGBTQ characters in a different light than how they are shown in past stories, to change how heterosexuals view them," she explained.
Homophobia in Nigeria
The story centers on two women Ife and Adaora and the uncertainty surrounding their relationship. It is created in partnership with Equality hub, an NGO in Nigeria focused on fighting social injustices against sexual minorities.
"They come into problems when they are not certain of the future of their relationship considering that these two women live in Nigeria which is a homophobic country," she said of the storyline.
In the West African nation where homophobia runs rampant, Ikpe-Etim is an advocate for the country's lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) community.
Homosexuality is illegal in Nigeria. The Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2014 says anyone found guilty of homosexuality faces up to 14 years in prison.
A 2019 survey by The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERS), a Nigerian human rights organization, found that 75% of people in the country support the continued enforcement of the anti-gay laws.
Censorship of queer films
Ikpe-Etim, 31, says "Ife" has no fixed release date yet but will be out before the end of the year.
What is certain is that it faces an uphill battle with Nigeria's film censors, who have said they may "go after the producers," if they find that the film promotes homosexuality.
The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) is the government agency set up to regulate films and videos in Nigeria.
Adedayo Thomas, executive director of the NFVCB, told CNN the board will not approve films that promote themes that don't conform with the country's "constitution, morals and traditions."
"We are monitoring the progress of the movie, and if it goes against the law by promoting homosexuality, we will be forced at some point to go after the producer and executive producer," he added.
According to Thomas, Ife was never submitted to the NFVCB before its trailer was released, making it impossible to classify or censor th
