Nigerian Film 'Ìfé the Sequel' Set for World Premiere at Prestigious London Festival
The Nigerian cinematic production Ìfé the Sequel is poised for its world premiere at the distinguished 40th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival this March. This landmark event will showcase the film at BFI Southbank in London, representing its inaugural public screening and positioning this Nigerian work within one of the United Kingdom's foremost platforms for queer cinema.
Festival Screening Details and Selection Process
The premiere is officially scheduled for Monday, March 23, 2026, with an additional screening following on Tuesday, March 24, both taking place at the BFI Southbank venue. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, BFI Flare is organized annually by the British Film Institute and serves as a global showcase for LGBTQIA+ cinema from diverse international perspectives.
According to the film's production team, Ìfé the Sequel was submitted after the official deadline through a late cold email approach. Festival programmers subsequently fast-tracked the submission, designating it as a priority title for the 2026 edition. This selection places the sequel within an international festival circuit that has increasingly become a vital space for African queer storytelling, particularly at a time when such narratives continue to encounter significant restrictions within their home countries.
Director's Perspective on the Achievement
Director Pamela Adie characterized the premiere as profoundly significant both for her creative team and for the broader community represented within the film. In an official statement, Adie emphasized that bringing this cinematic project to fruition represented both personal and political dimensions of creative expression.
"Bringing this story to life was an act of both love and resistance," declared Director Pamela Adie. "To have our World Premiere at the BFI Flare's 40th anniversary is not just a win for our team, but a win for the diverse, unseen narratives of Nigeria. We are telling our own stories, on our own terms."
Film Synopsis and Creative Context
Directed by Pamela Adie, Ìfé the Sequel continues the narrative trajectory established in the 2020 film Ìfé. The new cinematic work follows two women who reconnect three years after experiencing a painful separation. At the moment of their reunion, both characters find themselves at distinct turning points in their lives: one is married to a man, while the other is preparing to marry a woman. Their unexpected encounter compels them to confront unresolved emotions and reconsider the life paths they have chosen.
Set within contemporary Nigerian society, the film explores complex questions surrounding love, identity, safety, and personal truth. It situates its characters within a social environment where queer relationships remain legally and culturally contested, thereby introducing additional layers of tension to what is fundamentally an intimate story about second chances and personal reconciliation. The ensemble cast features notable performers including Uzoamaka Power, Gbubemi Ejeye, Ozzy Agu, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Adunolaoluwa Osilowo, and Najite Dede, among other talented actors.
Building Upon a Pioneering Legacy
The sequel builds upon the foundation established by Ìfé (2020), which is widely regarded as one of the first full-length Nigerian films centered explicitly on a lesbian relationship. Executive-produced by Pamela Adie and directed by Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim, the original cinematic project followed two women navigating romantic love within a society that criminalizes same-sex relationships.
Developed in collaboration with Equality Hub, a Nigerian non-governmental organization focused on LGBTQ rights advocacy, the film sought to challenge Nollywood's historical absence of nuanced queer representation. Upon the release of its trailer in July 2020, Ìfé generated both substantial support and significant criticism, reflecting the broader national conversation surrounding LGBTQ visibility in Nigeria.
While distribution for the original film encountered limitations, it nevertheless gained attention both locally and internationally for attempting to portray a same-sex love story without framing its characters as caricatures or moral warnings—a notable departure from how queer themes have historically appeared within mainstream Nigerian cinema.
Broader Context and Future Prospects
The world premiere of Ìfé the Sequel at BFI Flare occurs at a pivotal moment when independent Nigerian filmmakers increasingly rely on international festivals to platform stories that may struggle to secure domestic theatrical distribution. For Adie, who has maintained long-standing involvement in LGBTQ advocacy, the sequel represents a continuation of these efforts through narrative storytelling rather than activism alone.
With its London debut scheduled for late March 2026, the film's reception at BFI Flare will likely shape its subsequent festival trajectory and distribution journey. For the immediate future, the primary focus remains on its two scheduled screenings at BFI Southbank as integral components of the festival's 40th anniversary celebration.
