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Dickson
Iruegbu shoots Nigeria's first gay movie
28 Dec 2007-
Nigeria- Restless and daring AMAA ‘Best Director 2005,’ Dickson Iruegbu
is set for another first.
He is currently shooting Nigeria’s first gay movie entitled ‘Sinful
Saints.’
“Sinful Saints is a very controversial movie. It deals with a very
sensitive but neglected topic; homosexuality. The movie will explore
homosexuality in Nigeria,” Iruegbu revealed.
According to him, the movie would seek answers to such questions as
whether it is African or a burrowed culture.
How did it creep into our society? How do we discuss issues relating to
sex with our children? Do we frighten them with or experiences. The
family is the ultimate unit of society but unfortunately, most homes
lack good ways of teaching sex relayed issues.
Sinful Saints is the story of a sheltered kid, whose over protective mum
(Clarion Chukwura) sheltered him so much that at age 19, he’d had no
contact with a woman.
Meanwhile his hormones were raging but Ignorance has set in and he
clings unto his fellow man to satisfy his sexual needs. Soon he is
enmeshed in homosexuality.
According to Iruegbu: “ This is a topic we all shy from but it is there.
People experience it every day and we have to talk about it and
enlighten people. Some of us are trying to summon the courage to discuss
it. For me it is high time we discussed it.”
It features steamy scenes of man-to-man love. It is an intricate web of
ignorance, jealousy, betrayal and ultimately murder.
KOK, Charles Waran, Maurice Nwabueze and Clarion Chukwura will star in
this movie that would stretch the limits of censorship in Nigeria.
On the challenges of shooting such a movie, Iruegbu said: “It took a
long time to convince the artistes to play the roles. I paid three times
what is obtainable for Nigerian movies. I have sunk over N8, 000. 000 in
the project. I know it will shock Nigerians but the story has to be
told. It is happening everywhere and people want to talk about it.
According to him, he is not out to witch-hunt the homosexual click
believed to be very influential in Nollywood.
For Charles Waran, one of the lead actors, who plays a capricious role
under the ‘Fag Lord’ (Kanayo O. kanayo) as a pimp, “the movie is
important to me. It is a tragedy that young men could find themselves
gay and be proud of it. I feel challenged playing this role. It’s a love
story on the fag side of life.”
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