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C.J. Obasi

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C.J. Obasi
Other namesC. J. "Fiery" Obasi, "Fiery" , "The Fiery One"
EducationUniversity of Nigeria
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, editor
Years active2011–present
AwardsBest Nigerian film, trailblazer of the year award
Websitewww.afieryfilm.com

C.J. Obasi listenⓘ (also known as "Fiery" or "The Fiery One") is a Nigerian film director, screenwriter and editor.[1][2][3]

His debut feature – a zero budget film Ojuju premiered at the Africa International Film Festival in November 2014, and won the award for Best Nigerian Film.[2] It also got him the Trailblazer of the Year award in March 2015, at the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards.[3][2]

Early life and career

Born in the city of Owerri, Obasi grew up watching Hammer Horror films, reading Stephen King novels and watching film adaptations of his work. From the young age of 3, he would watch classic films and his favorite superheroes and villains; recreating them in hand-drawn comic books.[3]

After attending the Government Secondary School, Owerri, Obasi studied computer science at the University of Nigeria. In 2012, he set up Fiery Film Company, with his wife, the TV and film producer, Oge Obasi and the late screenwriter Benjamin Stockton.[4]

Obasi's directorial debut came in 2014 with Ojuju; a zombie thriller film. The movie was screened in various festivals around the world, including the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, Shockproof Film Festival in Prague, New Voices in Black Film Festival in New York, Nollywood Week Festival in Paris, Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, Africa International Film Festival where it won the award of the Best Nigerian Film and others; garnering universal acclaim from the likes of internationally renowned critics such as Todd Brown of Twitch Film, Tambay A. Obenson of Shadow and Act, and Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter.[5] Remarkably, Ojuju is a zero budget movie.

His second film, O-Town, was released in 2015 to even more critical acclaim. A crime thriller, O-Town, also written by Obasi, tells the tale of a small town mired in crime. O-Town was inspired by Owerri, the place where Obasi was born.

In 2018, Obasi directed the film adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor's africanfuturistic short story "Hello, Moto". The short film, Hello, Rain, stars Keira Hewatch as Rain, a scientist and witch.[6] In February 2017, Fiery Film Production optioned the short story and began production.[7]

It had its world premiere at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, on 6 May 2018.[8]

Future projects

In 2016, C.J. announced an upcoming movie titled Mami Wata; based on the popular African folklore on water spirits.[9] The director started a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise the sum of $120,000, in anticipation of a likely fall 2018 principal photography start date. The budget will cover production and post production costs. Mami Wata will be shot in black and white.[10]

Filmography

Title Year Production Company Role
Ojuju 2014 Fiery Film Company Writer, Director, Editor
O-Town 2015 Fiery Film Company Writer, director, editor
Visions: An Anthology of Short Films 2017 Surreal16 Collective Co-writer, co-director [11][12]
Hello, Rain 2018 Fiery Film Company

Igodo Films

Matanya Films

Writer, director [13]
Lionheart 2018 The Entertainment Network (T.E.N)

Netflix

Co-writer
Living in Bondage: Breaking Free 2019 Co-writer [14]
Juju Stories 2021 20 Pounds Production

Ifind Pictures

Fiery Film

Osiris Creatives

Cine9ja

Co-writer, co-director
Mami Wata TBA Fiery Film Company Writer, director

References

  1. ^ "Interview with C.J. Obasi from Fiery Film". Odd Magazine. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "'Every single day I spent not being a film-maker was torture to me.' - C.J. 'Fiery' Obasi | 360Nobs.com". www.360nobs.com. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b c FP. "Nollywood Spotlight: C.J. Obasi | Fried Plantains". Fried Plaintains. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  4. ^ FP. "Nollywood Spotlight: C.J. Obasi | Fried Plantains". Fried Plaintains. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  5. ^ Citation error. See inline comment how to fix. [verification needed]
  6. ^ Izuzu, Chidumga. "Meet the cast of "Hello, Rain," a sci-fi Nollywood film that merges magic and technology". Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  7. ^ Dayo, Bernard (19 June 2018). "CJ Obasi: The Genre Filmmaker Nollywood Needs". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  8. ^ "CJ Obasi's Afrofuturistic Film, "Hello, Rain" To Premiere At Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen Short Film Festival". TNS. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  9. ^ Izuzu, Chidumga. ""Mami Wata": C.J Fiery Obasi announces new movie based on folklore". Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  10. ^ "In Conversation with C.J. Obasi on His New 'Kick-Ass' Supernatural Thriller Inspired by Mami Wata". OkayAfrica. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  11. ^ Izuzu, Chidumga. "Watch teaser for an anthology of three short films "Visions" by 3 unconventional filmmakers". Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  12. ^ Orubo, Daniel (31 July 2017). "'Visions': An Anthology Of Short Films By Three Unconventional Nollywood Filmmakers". Konbini Nigeria. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  13. ^ Animashaun, Damilola (4 January 2018). "Watch: Teaser For 'Hello, Rain', A Short Film Based On Nnedi Okorafor's 'Hello, Moto'". Konbini Nigeria. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  14. ^ Gbenga, Bada (31 October 2019). "'Living in Bondage: Breaking Free' is perfect for Ramsey Nouah's directorial debut (Review)". pulse.ng.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

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