S16 Film Festival 2025: Celestina Aleobua and Sochima Nwakaeze’s “Second Wind” Confronts Sexual Assault and Trauma 

Violence against women constitutes an underreported and underaddressed global phenomenon, with the World Health Organization (WHO) saying that nearly one in three women have experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence of any kind in their lifetime. These victims are likely to face trauma that could last a lifetime, often struggling to overcome the psychological damage that has been done. It is this sensitive nature of sexual assault and trauma that Second Wind, a short film that screened in competition at the 2025 S16 Film Festival, addresses.

Second Wind, written by Celestina Aleobua and co-directed with Sochima Nwakaeze, follows Tebogo, a final year university student, who confronts her classmate and serial abuser, Antoine, who took advantage of her three years earlier, during a trip. The film is largely based on conversations between Tebogo (played by Celestina) and Antoine (Juaze Deen) during the trip, with actions unfolding at a poignant pace, revealing themes of sexual assault, violence and emotional trauma. The film is set against the backdrop of wind turbines around farmlands in an unspecified location.

The title “second wind” refers to an unexpected burst of energy or strength after a feeling of being exhausted. For instance, someone who is running and tired “catches a second wind” when they suddenly regain lost energy. In this film, it becomes a metaphor for Tebogo’s sudden courage and confrontational posture after years of silence and inertia.

Although sexual assault and gender-based violence are depicted often in popular culture, Second Wind drifts from generic oversimplification to interrogating the idea of consensual sexual behaviour. At a point in the film, after an argument ensues with the young man defending his actions, Tebogo says that Antoine took advantage of her because she was drunk, which rightly strips her of consent.

The cinematography of Second Wind is flamboyant, leaning into wide shots of lush vegetation while subtly framing the tensions underlying the encounter between a victim and her sexual predator. Its colourful visuals initially mask the severity of the subject matter: at first, the film almost feels like a carefree journey shared by two friends or lovers on an outing. This unsuspecting opening lingers for a short while, eventually paving way for heated conversations during which Tebogo reminds Antoine of his sexual offences, gets him to talk and records their conversation.

Unlike popular mainstream representation of victims of sexual violence as helpless against their abusers with little or no hope of seeking redress, Second Wind strengthens the female character so much that she appears bold, defiant, knowledgeable and confident enough to take action on the situation. Through this character, the filmmakers attempt to reconceptualize victimhood, as a space not of passive suffering but of reclaimed agency, where speaking out becomes a means of resistance rather than a plea for sympathy. Reframing Tebogo’s journey this way creates an avenue for upending hackneyed narratives of silence and shame, with the filmmakers affirming the validity of delayed justice and the personal courage to pursue it.