‘Mami Wata,’ By CJ Obasi, Wins A New International Award 

The movie won the Swiss fund prize over 172 other projects.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

The main prize for the Swiss fund Visions Sud Est fund, a Switzerland supported funding and distribution project, has gone to C.J Obasi’s next feature film “Mami Wata.”

According to the filmmaker, the film will be distributed throughout Switzerland, including Liechtenstein, as part of the competition, which includes a cash prize of 20,000 Swiss Francs.

“Our feature film MAMI WATA has won the Swiss fund Visions Sud Est fund for post-production of a fiction project (20,000 Swiss Francs) which guarantees distribution in the territory of Switzerland, including Liechtenstein,” Obasi announced on Instagram.

“This is such a huge deal for the entire team, even more so because 172 projects were submitted in total, and only 5 have been selected for support (1 documentary and 4 fiction films). A mighty thanks to the Visions Sud Est Selection Committee, what a huge honor! I would like to thank my amazing team, producer, co-producer, line producer, associate producers, EPs, camera, costume, make-up, hair, art, stunt departments, and the rest of the stellar cast and crew, who came on this journey of glorious madness with me, and just keep on giving and giving.”

The Oge Obasi produced film stars Evelyne Ily Juhen, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Emeka Amakeze, and Rita Edochie as Prisca and Zinwe, Mama Efe’s daughters (an intermediary between the Mermaid goddess and the people of Iyi, a small fishing village in West Africa). After their mother is slain, Jasper, an escaped mercenary, takes over Iyi and changes their lives forever.

According to reports, pre-production began in 2016. Early this year, principal photography in Benin Republic came to a close.