Nollywood filmmaker Michael Omonua's second feature film, 'Galatians,' has been selected to be developed at this year’s La Fabrique Cinema du Monde, which is set to take place at the Cannes Film Festival.
The feature film is a drama that was developed based on the filmmaker's award-winning short film 'Rehearsal.' It offers a provocative look at the rich and powerful world of Pentecostalism while navigating the thin line between miracle churches and theatre.
This is history-making for the brains behind the film because it is the first time a Nigerian project will be selected to feature at the development workshop. Michael Omonua will be joined by the film's producer, Abba T. Makama, at the workshop.
Announcing the selection, the filmmaker wrote on Twitter, "Happy to announce our new project 'Galatians' has been selected at this years La Fabrique, Cinema du Monde at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2023. Galatians is part of 10 films selected from the global south for this years workshop which invites both director and producer of the project. Galatians is written and will be Directed by Michael Omonua and produced by Abba T. Makama for Polka Dot Films Ltd. Special thanks to Institute Francais and the Nigerian French Embassy for support. See you in Cannes."
Reacting to the selection, Omonua tells What Kept Me Up, "When the script was nearing an advanced stage last year, it became my top priority to get into a lab of some kind, and La Fabrique Cinema was at the top of my list. I feel very fortunate that they liked the project enough to accept it, and it’s a huge honour to be one of the ten projects on the programme. I’ve also never attended Cannes Film Festival, so to be going there as part of La Fabrique Cinema with a project is a dream of mine."
La Fabrique Cinema is a film support programme that is unique in the world. As a veritable springboard, this workshop is actively used by committed talents from the South and emerging countries.
This year's workshop features selections from other African countries like Senegal, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Egypt. The 15th edition of La Fabrique Cinéma will take place at the Festival de Cannes, from May 17 to 26, 2023.