Like many creatives, Nneoha Ann Aligwe is driven by deep desires. On one hand, she yearns to make films that express her unique spiritual perspective. On the other, she believes the horror genre is vastly underexplored in Nigeria. These dual motivations ultimately led her to embrace her identity as a filmmaker.
Her father resisted, urging her to pursue a law degree, but Aligwe couldn’t ignore her artistic calling. After completing her law degree, she redirected her path, enrolling in film school to study directing. In 2021, she founded the African International Horror Film Festival (AIH), the first of its kind in Nigeria and only the second in Africa. Her goal was clear: to spotlight a genre that was going extinct and create a platform for African horror stories.
Aligwe’s connection to the mysteries of the universe deeply informs her work. Through her films, she seeks to evoke that sense of wonder and curiosity in her audience. Her latest project, Enyo, was screened at the recently concluded S16 Festival. The film earned the Viewer’s Choice Award; proof of her talent and ability to craft stories that linger in viewers’ minds.
Culture Custodian spoke with Aligwe about her creative journey, her film Enyo, and her mission to redefine the horror genre in Nigeria.
When did you first become interested in filmmaking and what initially inspired you to pursue this path?
I’ve always been drawn to films because I love stories. One of my favorite memories, when I was growing up, was listening to folktales told by my mom. It just broadened my imagination. I started writing because I felt that was the only way I could express myself and also because I had already fallen in love with stories. The few times I watched films, I always felt like the stories could be better. And then in secondary school, I decided I wanted to make films.
Film, for me, is just another form of storytelling. I’ve written some books, but film is another medium for me to tell stories. And I find it fascinating because it takes a village to make a film. Everything has to make sense for a film to come out well.
Can you share some insights into your journey as a filmmaker leading up to the creation of Enyo?
I made Enyo in December 2023. Before then, I had taken many courses and shot many short films that people may never see, but I was just using that to experiment and also learn. I studied editing first in 2019.
And then I made a short film, Facebook Friend, that I posted on YouTube and it got into the African Short Film Competition. Already, I had worked as a creative director for Smile Radio TV in Abuja. I was directing documentaries and sometimes shooting. I came back to Lagos last year, and that was when I decided to take a course in directing because everything I knew about directing before was self-taught. I wrote Enyo in January when I did not understand cinema like that. So when I was making Enyo in December, I was just expressing what I had learned.
Where did the inspiration for Enyo about spirit couples and reflections come from?
The whole concept of Enyo was inspired by a lot of divine encounters I’ve had in my life. I’m very aware of people and experiences. I noticed that sometimes I could be dealing with something and just have an intimate conversation with a stranger. It usually feels like they were divinely sent to me to help me walk through my issues personally and reach a conclusion.
And that was basically what I was trying to do with Enyo. But I decided to make it a love story because I love love stories. And I love spirits. I love the unknown. I feel like we are all surrounded by spirits. Spirits are not supposed to be scary. I started being so attracted to spirits when I lost my dad. Right now, I know that his spirit is around me. So why should I be scared?
Your use of mirrors to represent the ghost couple is intriguing. How did you develop this metaphor, and what does it symbolize in the film?
It was initially titled Room 66. But while going around our location on the island, there was this broken mirror we saw upstairs. Seeing that mirror and how mystic everywhere looked, I wanted the spirit couple to mirror the living. I thought it would make sense if I showed them through mirrors. And it was also a poetic way for me to show that they were spirits. What does it symbolize? All of us mirror each other in life, and we know this when we relate to people.
You founded the AIH (Africa International Horror Film Fest) committed to promoting African horror films, can you discuss the technical or creative challenges of representing supernatural elements through films?
So, I think one of the challenges young horror filmmakers have is ideas that are not properly executed. I’m speaking from most of the short films that we usually receive. Sometimes the VFX is not properly done too. I think it’s because they are not properly planned. And you can always see that in the final product.
But there haven’t been many challenges. When people hear about horror film festivals, they are usually very curious. They want to know, like wow Africans are doing horror films. And I think people are interested because of the stories that we grew up listening to, horror stories. There was Madam Koi Koi, Bush Baby. People are interested in this genre because this is our reality.
I want us to make horror films that have social commentaries like the Hollywood film Get Out. I feel horror films can go beyond just scaring people and instead, make people think. My festival is to revive that journey because it is dying off.
How does Enyo winning the Viewers’ Choice Award at the S16 festival impact your filmmaking journey?
Being my first award as a filmmaker, it felt like a validation of my artistry. I’m looking forward to working on more projects. I don’t want to say it has put me under pressure because I don’t like that. I believe in just moving at my pace. So I don’t think anything has changed because I’ll do my next project when I’m ready.
What message or emotional experience do you hope audiences take away from watching your films?
To be aware. We move through life and we are not aware of people that we meet, or experiences, we don’t pay attention to. We mostly just float. How can you not know what’s happening even though it’s right here? Experiences are divine for the mind, so I want my audience to look beyond the surface.
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