Eyimofe (This Is My Desire), a Nigerian feature film, has been nominated for the 2022 NAACP Image Award, a yearly awards ceremony organised by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the United States.
The nomination comes just weeks after The Guardian UK listed the film among the best films of 2021 after it premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany in 2020. Eyimofe, and other films from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, were chosen as the best films of the year by the reputable publication for their global impact.
Presented by GDN Studios, Eyimofe was directed by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri and produced by Melissa Adeyemo. The film won five awards at the 2021 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), including the prestigious Best Director and Best Nigerian Film awards, with executive producers Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, Toke Alex-Ibru, Olorogun Oskar Ibru, Kayode Akindele, and Ifeoma Esiri.
Eyimofe will compete against 7 Prisoners, African America, Flee, and The Gravedigger’s Wife in the Outstanding International Motion Picture category.
The NAACP Image Award honours exceptional film, television, theatre, music, and literature performances. The roughly 40 categories of the Image Awards are voted on by the award organisation’s members, similar to the Oscars and Grammys (in this case, NAACP members). In addition, the President’s Award, the Chairman’s Award, the Entertainer of the Year, and the Hall of Fame Award are among the honorary accolades (similar to the Academy Honorary Award).
The NAACP was first organised and presented on August 13, 1967, by activists Maggie Hathaway, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Willis Edwards, all three of whom were leaders of the Beverly Hills-Hollywood NAACP branch. The awards were first taped for television by NBC, which broadcast the awards from 1987 to 1994 in January when Saturday Night Live wasn’t airing a new episode. After that, the ceremony would only be broadcast at primetime beginning in 1996.
The winners for the 2022 edition will be announced during a two-hour special on BET on Saturday, February 26, hosted by seven-time NAACP Image Award winner Anthony Anderson.
