Ovuorho Okeremute is a script writer, producer and media consultant. He won the Nigeria Film Corporation competition in script writing for the animation child project in 2014, and recently his animated film titled “Lake Kabula” won the 2020 Tagore International Film Festival (TIFF) Best Film on Nature/Environment/Wildlife in India. He speaks of his passion for a healthy environment.
Can you briefly tell us about the award?
It is a film festival by Tagore International Film Festival (TIFF) in India. They promote filmmakers around the world. They get entries from different filmmakers to showcase their movies and work they have done. I entered for the competition and submitted my entry.
It’s an animated movie that has to do with global warming and the Australian 2019/20 bush fires. They watched the movie, which went through a series of checks, from their professional theories and finally they selected it for the best in wildlife, nature and environment.
They sent me an invitation to India for proper film documentation and questions and answers sessions with filmmakers in India. They sent me the certificate and trophy for the winning prize.
What informed your choice of environment and climate change?
I’m a lover of good and healthy living; I know climate change is the number one problem of the world and I have thought of producing this movie in order to showcase and enlighten people on the effect of climate change on humans and not just humans alone but also how it affects animals and plants. So, that drive for greener nature and a greener world made me go into the movie.
Do you have a background in environment or study wise?
Yes, I studied Geology at the University of Maiduguri; Petroleum Geology specifically, so that gave me a general idea, coupled with how we interact with nature as humans.
Considering that climate change is one of the biggest issues we have now, does your movie suggest how we could tackle climate change?
Yes. The movie suggested a healthier lifestyle. I encouraged people to go green in terms of daily restoration of energy; how they can manage energy, use energy safely and wisely, as well as how they can recycle some of their used products instead of generating more waste.
Is the movie in public domain and what do you intend to achieve with it?
The movie is not in public domain yet, but I’ve submitted it to several film festivals for their assessment before I can put it out for public consumption.
What is your assessment of Nigerians towards climate change?
Well, for Nigerians, the level of awareness is really low, so people don’t really know much about climate change, especially how it affects humans. If you observe the streets, you’d see how people dispose waste anyhow. They turn on their lights even in the day time, they keep on purchasing polythene bags for their packaging instead of recycling them or using other alternative methods of packaging their products. So, the awareness is really low, I hope the movie will help increase our awareness and help our people live better lives.
If you’re in government, how will you tackle the issue of climate change?
I will tackle it from the grassroots. I will start by creating awareness in schools – primary and secondary schools, universities, villages and communities. There will be a lot of campaigns demonstrating the effect of climate change and how it affects us. I will also go into creating movies, documentaries and agriculture by planting more trees and lots more.
What does the award mean to you?
It means a lot to me. It’s a step towards creating awareness, creating good reputation and representing Nigeria because the competition is not just national but an international/global competition. It puts Nigeria on a very good pedestal and it means a lot in terms of getting more people to join the fight against climate change.
Are you working on something else at the moment?
Yes, I’m currently working on a movie, it has to do with poaching, wildlife and how animals are being smuggled from Africa to Europe and Asia, so the illegal smuggling of animals is also a problem and I want to address it.
Is there anything else you will like to add?
I hope this gives Nigerians the opportunity to know more about the broader aspect of climate change so that they can adopt healthy living and the society can be better off, so the earth can be happy.
