Nollywood star actress, Stephanie Okereke-Linus just premiered her heart-wrenching movie DRY in Abuja, which tells a powerful story about Vesico Vaginal Fistual. In this interview, the director and lead actress in the movie talks about her cause, the joy of producing the movie and her pregnancy.
You just premiered your latest movie, ‘Dry.’ Why did you want to make this movie?
I made the movie because I just had to. There is this strong desire in everyone to use his or her talents and resources to drive forward a strong passion. And that’s what happened with DRY. The plight of women living with Vesico Vaginal Fistula is something I’ve been drawn to for several years. Since I first heard about the condition while studying at the university, I’ve had a yearning to raise awareness about this condition and educate as many people as possible on how it can be prevented. I’ve also been passionate about informing those who are ignorant that repair surgeries can be used to correct this while offering as many free surgeries as I can through my charity foundation. Making the movie is one of the many ways I’ve used to lend my voice to this cause.
A lot of people in the audience shed a tear or two. Was this something you aimed for with the movie?
‘DRY’ has a deep message and I’m glad that it resonated deeply within the audience. The characters in the movie expressed different emotions. Sometimes they made you laugh, sometimes they made you cry. I guess most people were shocked to see themselves cry, especially the men. They weren’t expecting it. I wanted the message to hit home and hit hard, and if people had to shed tears for this to happen, then I’d say my work is done.
You spoke passionately about the plight of women with VVF and you have set up a foundation to help. At what point did you realise it was important for you to do something about this situation rather than just lament about it?
Nothing gets solved by just talking about it. I realised this a long time ago. When I first started doing some research about VVF, I met and interacted with lots of girls and women who had this condition and there was one thing I saw clearly in their eyes – a strong desire to be DRY again. They had been shamed, ridiculed, separated from the society and wanted to feel whole again. You don’t achieve this by just lamenting; you achieve this by carrying out the repair surgeries that would fix the condition. I knew early enough that I had to do something to help as many women as I could, and thankfully, some corporate organisations (like SNEPCO & Diamond Bank) that I approached for support shared my passion and donated towards our medical pool efforts at the Extended Hands Foundation.
You also used the movie premiere to launch an appeal for donations to the Extended Hands foundation. How do you intend to use these donations to reach people with this condition?
At the Extended Hands Foundation, we have a robust plan to cover the six geo-political zones in the country with our awareness programs and free repair surgeries for women with VVF in the coming year. Already, we have carried out free repair surgeries for over 80 women in Ibadan, Kwara and Ogoja. We want to do more as there are still hundreds of thousands of girls and women living with VVF in Nigeria. We will partner with VVF Centers and Teaching Hospitals across the country where the surgeries will be carried out. We will also donate medical and surgical equipment to these hospitals for the care of the women.
Another major thing we are going to focus on is education. We want to educate as many people as we can in the rural communities about how people actually get VVF and how they can protect themselves from falling victims.
What were the challenges of making the movie?
First, I must say that every challenge encountered was a stepping stone to success as nothing good comes easy. From the challenge of getting adequate funding, to finding the right location and then getting the best world-class team to work with. We often had to shoot under harsh weather conditions and in an environment that had some adverse effect on some of our team members from the USA. But at the end of the day, everyone gave it their best shot and we were able to overcome the challenges with kind support from several well-meaning people and organisations.
One of the most interesting things about the movie is that it features Liz Benson-Ameye. How did you convince her to star in the movie and what was the experience of working with her?
While I was writing the script, I was also thinking about people who could play the different roles and make the characters come alive. One person that stood out to me for the role of the matron was Liz Benson-Ameye . At that time, she had not been on a movie set for several years and I thought it was going to be tough to convince her. But thankfully, the strong message of the script and her role did the convincing. Coincidentally, she had been thinking of returning to acting but hadn’t come across the right kind of script. When she read ‘DRY,’ she knew this was the script she had been looking for.
What roles did donor agencies play in making this movie possible?
I am very grateful to the several organisations that lent their time and resources to making this movie a success. This film was supported by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on MDGs Nigeria, Aberystwyth University Wales, Diamond Bank, Ford Foundation, Project Act Nollywood, USAID Acquired Fistula Project, Vlisco and more.
Zubaidat Ibrahim Fagge delivered some powerful performances in the movie. Were you surprised by what she brought to the screen considering this was her first role in the big screen?
Oh, yes I was! She is a very talented girl who is going to go places and it was so beautiful and rewarding to be the one to unveil her to the world. I also have to thank Hauwa Maina, the lady who played the role of her mother in the movie. She was the one that brought her and I knew I could direct and get her into character because it’s her first time acting. Zubaidat is a natural, and she brought life to her character in the movie.
Interestingly, this movie also highlights the collaboration between Nollywood and Kannywood. What was it like working with these actors?
It was very rewarding working with every actor in ‘DRY.’ I personally don’t like putting a distinction in the names by using Nollywood and Kannywood. We are all actors and everyone played their roles passionately. ‘DRY’ had a very healthy mix of talented actors from different parts of Nigeria and abroad.
Wasn’t it ironic that in the movie, the mother and the daughter suffered the same fate? Was this something you aimed at?
It is not uncommon to see mother and child suffering from the same medical condition. When barbaric cultural practices and no access to quality maternal health care are suffered by both mother and child, the consequences are very similar. In the movie, both mother and child got pregnant at very young ages and were forced to endure agonizing labour pains at home without access to proper healthcare. The distinction here is that one got repaired successfully and it was too late for the other. Sadly, this is the true story of thousands of women today.
In a scene in the movie, Dr Zara confronts a government official who assures her that the government is dealing with the situation. To what extent do you think this attitude has contributed to the prevalence of this condition?
There is no doubt about it, the government needs to do more in several ways. From facilitating education and enlightenment programmes to curb the situation as well as providing affordable healthcare for those already affected, enabling laws – there are loop holes everywhere. But ‘DRY’ seeks to do much more than just telling the government to do more. It tells everyone in the family unit and the larger society that we all have roles to play. In ‘DRY,’ we can see the shortcomings of several members of the society; it tells us where the parents, aunties, friends, sisters and others have gone wrong. So it’s not just the government that needs to deal with the situation, everyone has a role to play.
Clearly you want this movie to be seen by as many people as possible. What next after the cinema release? How do you plan to get this movie to the people in the rural areas where these situations are prevalent?
We will be taking our mobile cinemas to several local governments across the country, especially the rural areas where people need more education about the importance of quality maternal healthcare for pregnant women. We will also be visiting schools and organising enlightening workshops in communities where such information is most needed.
It must be tough promoting this movie considering that you are pregnant. How are you coping?
Well, it is quite challenging, especially when I have to be in certain places physically, (Hey! I’m not complaining because I thank God for this amazing gift), but my team is very much active in the promotion. ‘DRY’ was screened at the Bentonville Film Festival in the USA some months back and the Editor and Co-producer, Jane Lawalata, was there to represent us and pick up an award on my behalf. Also, thanks to technology, I can participate in several conversations without being there physically. I’d definitely do more next year. We will be embarking on an African tour with film next year.
Would you say this is the most meaningful movie you have made to date?
Every movie I have been a part of has had a strong meaning and has helped shaped my career to where it is now. I do not take any project for granted. ‘DRY’ is very dear to my heart and would always remain so. But people should go to the cinema and see ‘DRY’ support this movie.
Nollywood has undergone a lot of changes and we have what some people term the ‘New Nollywood.’ What are your thoughts on these developments?
Change is the only constant thing in life and when that change is positive, it gives room for growth and development. We are seeing better quality movies in the industry because some people have dared to raise the norm. Some years back, we didn’t have our movies showing in the cinemas, but now things are different in a better way. It’s a good development.
Is it right to assume that after this movie, you will take time off for motherhood. How much are you looking forward to it?
I’m so excited about it and I’m very grateful to God for this opportunity. My child and my family are very dear to me and would always have my full attention. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing, they will always come first.
