Michael Omonua’s ‘Galatians’ Is The First Nigerian Film To Be Chosen For La Fabrique Cinema 

With C.J. Obasi’s “Mami Wata” shattering records and Omonua joining him on the list of first-to-dos, the Surreal 16 artists are having a successful year.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

The second feature film from Nollywood director Michael Omonua, titled “Galatians,” has been chosen to be developed at this year’s La Fabrique Cinema du Monde, which will take place at the Cannes Film Festival.

The dramatization of the director’s critically acclaimed short film “Rehearsal” serves as the basis for the feature picture. By straddling the fine line between miracle churches and theater, it gives a fascinating peek at the wealthy and influential world of Pentecostalism.

The fact that a Nigerian idea has been chosen to appear at the development workshop is historic for the creators of the movie. Abba T. Makama, the film’s producer, will attend the workshop with Michael Omonua.

Announcing the selection, the filmmaker wrote on Twitter, “Happy to announce our new project ‘Galatians’ has been selected at this years La Fabrique, Cinema du Monde at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2023. Galatians is part of 10 films selected from the global south for this years workshop which invites both director and producer of the project. Galatians is written and will be Directed by Michael Omonua and produced by Abba T. Makama for Polka Dot Films Ltd. Special thanks to Institute Francais and the Nigerian French Embassy for support. See you in Cannes.”

Reacting to the selection, Omonua tells What Kept Me Up, “When the script was nearing an advanced stage last year, it became my top priority to get into a lab of some kind, and La Fabrique Cinema was at the top of my list. I feel very fortunate that they liked the project enough to accept it, and it’s a huge honour to be one of the ten projects on the programme. I’ve also never attended Cannes Film Festival, so to be going there as part of La Fabrique Cinema with a project is a dream of mine.”

An international first, La Fabrique Cinema is a film assistance initiative. Committed talent from the South and developing nations actively uses this program as a true launching pad.

Selections from additional African nations including Senegal, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Egypt are included in this year’s workshop. The Festival de Cannes will host the 15th iteration of La Fabrique Cinéma from May 17–26, 2023.