Director pays homage to heritage in debut film

A British Nigerian film director has paid homage to his heritage in his debut movie.

Ogo Okpue, who was born in Nigeria and lives in Essex, has released his new film, A Song from the Dark, on Amazon Prime Video.

The supernatural thriller follows a Nigerian family living in England who hire a spirit hunter following the death of their father, but they hide a dark secret.

Mr Okpue said it was crucial for him to ensure black people were represented in his work, as there was "not enough representation" in films.

"I needed to put images out there that a young person like me probably in Africa or America who didn't see themselves represented enough," he told Angelle Joseph on BBC Suffolk.

"That brought me into the genre space like fantasy, action and horror.

"It slowly brought me to this first feature which I made and I felt needed to be told because we don't have enough representation in genre overall.

"If you hear someone doing a horror film and they happen to be global majority the first thing we think about is Jordan Peele because there's not enough of us doing that genre."

His new film features prominent actors including Vanessa Vanderpuye from show Bulletproof, Nse Ikpe Etim from Netflix's Shanty Town and Wale Ojo from BBC's Black Earth Rising.

"I wanted it to be authentic to the cultural element in it which is Nigerian tradition and religion," Mr Okpue explained.

"I also wanted the representation of black British individuals to be there so you could feel and taste it but I wanted it to be different as well.

"The challenge we always have, is that regardless of where, we don't have enough opportunities. That's the reality."

The film is a nod to Jordan Peele's films Get Out, Nope and Us and draws comparisons to the supernatural, horror and genre elements.

"It's a story you can relate to but then there's an extreme part of it and that's the horror," added Mr Okpue.

"It's edge of your seat suspense."

The film has already led to awards including Best Director in the American Black Film Festival and Best First Feature in the Pan African Film Festival.

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