INNER CITY ENGAGEMENT

The Inner City Screening is conceived as the iREP extension service; to extend the glory of Documentary film to the underserved communities in the country. The project was launched at the 2023 edition borne of the concern of the iREP Board that though Documentary is fast becoming a staple of Nigeria film viewing public, its exposition is mostly concentrated in the elite communities of Lagos Island. Whereas the subjects are usually in the surbubs, mostly the underserved communities of the city, the end result is hardly screened or shared in those communities.

The Board also reasoned that one of the fundamental objectives of the iREP festival – encouraging participation of the public in the democratic discourse in the national polity, or in issues in their evironement – can hardly be realized if the people in those communities are not opportune to see the documentaries.

Thus, in 2023, the programme directorate of the Festival decided to introduce the INNER CITY SCREENING, which is to basically to screen some of rhe selected films at those communities; in particular those films relevant to the realities if rhe communities.

The pilot edition in 2023 took screening events to such suburbs as such suburbs of Bariga-Makoko, Ikorodu, Ajegunle, Ejigbo, Ojoo ( university community). Despite the disruption occasioned by the shifted gubernatorial election, the ICS screenings in the pilot communities recorded huge success with the folks turning up in large numbers to watch the films; even on election day – after the polls. The success has encouraged the Programme Directorate to return to the idea – and to deepen the connections to the pilot communities.

This is a project that the iREP is determined yo explore further. We hope to use the screened films to awaken the interest of the participants to their civic responsibility. The ICS project will also help us in fashioning a critical aspect of the agenda for the Documentary Film Curriculum Development project for Nigeria and African tertiary institutions.