S16 Film Festival 2025: Barnabas Ayo-Ilekhaize Revists The Path To “Journeys of Singleness”  

Journeys of Singleness, a short film written, directed and edited by Barnabas Ayo-Ilekhaize, gives a hint of the distrust and dishonesty that characterises modern youth-centric relationships. It follows Ifebuche, a young lady with an arid romantic life and a job she is displeased with, whose friend introduces her to a potential interest, Gabriel. Ifebuche begins to take interest and build an emotional connection with Gabriel over telephone conversations, only to be disappointed when the man ghosts her. As the story ends, the young lady chooses to be at peace with herself, resigning from a job she is tired of and leaving no room for potential reconciliation with the man.

Through this film, Ayo-Ilekhaize calls attention to the emotional weight of ghosting and the quiet disillusionment that follows contemporary romantic alliances. Without the dramatic tension that commonly undergirds narratives on love and heartbreak, Journeys of Singleness treats modern romance as a volatile space, where connections are fickle and expectations can easily sway from an appreciable level of assurance to the lows of disappointment.

Culture Custodian sat down with Ayo-Ilekhaize, who shared his artistic inspiration, filmmaking process and the journey to getting featured among the competing films at the recently concluded edition of S15 Film Festival.

This conversation has been edited for clarity.

How important was it for you to address the complexities of modern relationships through this film?

As a young person in my twenties, I have experienced the ups and downs of romance, and one of the most common patterns I have noticed is ghosting. In the film, the man eventually reaches out to rekindle the connection, but the woman rejects him. I wanted to explore what ghosting really means, how you can meet someone exciting only for them to disappear without explanation. At the time, I had not seen this experience explored in Nigerian media. The closest reference I can think of is Laraba and Balarabe, made with Susan Pwajok. My story turned out different in that the potentials were not officially dating and were only about to go on their first date when he ghosted her. That distinction mattered to me and partly motivated this film. The fact that many of my friends, and I myself, had similar experiences made the story feel worth telling.

Can you describe your creative journey working with producer and cinematographer Alexander Beamar?

I first met Alex at a creatives’ event in Abuja, and we later reconnected when I began sharing the script with people I had previously worked with. At the time, the film had very limited funding, which I covered myself, so I was upfront with him about the constraints and the idea. I was drawn to the simplicity of one-man stage plays, and initially, the friend in the film was not meant to appear. The script was almost thirty minutes long, and Alex responded strongly to it. He was willing to work within our limited resources and eventually came on board to both produce and shoot the film. We discussed my vision and made practical decisions based on what was available to us. Because of budget limitations, we had to compromise on equipment and location. We used the best camera we could afford and shot the film in a friend’s house. As the project progressed, some details from the script were removed, and the film was shortened to improve pacing and meet festival requirements.

To what extent does the film reflect your personal life and experiences?

Quite a lot. One of the biggest things I have realised is that whenever I become deeply attached to someone, it often does not work out. Especially once labels like “relationship” are introduced, things tend to fall apart. In a way, I was writing from that experience and from a female perspective.

As the director, what was your experience like working with the cast and on set during production?

We worked with a very small team, and I am grateful to everyone involved. Mary, who also plays Funmi, helped with makeup and set design, while TY assisted with set design. David handled gaffing and sound design. Alex served as both producer and cinematographer, and Allen, my editor, whom I had previously collaborated with on Late Night Conversations, handled post-production. Janet played the lead, and Tomiwa voiced Gideon. Working with the cast and crew was a positive experience. I was initially unsure about the casting, but after Alex introduced me to Janet, I felt more confident. We discussed the vision and agreed on a natural, relaxed performance style. The atmosphere on set was intentionally informal, as I prefer collaborative environments and working with people I know. I also want to acknowledge Grace Osagu, who composed the score for the film. This was his second project screening at S16, after About the Boy, and I hope to continue working with him. Although we faced challenges due to a tight budget and shooting in an estate, we completed the film over three days, and the process went well overall.

How did Journeys of Singleness come to be selected for screening at S16, and in what ways do you think the festival screening has shaped how you are perceived as a filmmaker?

We shot the film in December 2024. The hardest part of the film was post-production. While we were still dealing with sound issues, I shared screenshots from the project on X, including a scene where the lead character dances, which generated different comments. I noticed a comment under the post and could not believe it was from C.J. Obasi, who I deeply admire. He reached out to request a screener. I sent it to him immediately. He later got in touch about the upcoming S16 Festival. He said he liked the film and suggested that I shorten it and fix the sound. After making those changes, I received confirmation that the film had been selected for competition at S16, which was an incredible moment.

Looking ahead, what kinds of stories are you most interested in telling next as a filmmaker?

My long-term goal is to make a feature film. I also want to create a series and continue telling Nigerian stories, whether fictional or not. I have written a lot of material, and the main challenge right now is financing. I am currently developing an untitled series with three planned episodes, but getting it into production remains the biggest hurdle. I am drawn to stories that feel grounded and recognisably Nigerian. One idea I want to explore is about a boy dealing with the death of his father and the realities that follow, navigating the courts, signing affidavits, pursuing pensions, and handling calls from family members. Another story focuses on three brothers struggling with their father’s death while carrying a deeply fractured, trauma-filled relationship. I admire character-driven filmmakers like Richard Linklater and Martin Scorsese, and simply want to tell stories of this kind.