''Ijé'' or ''Ijé: The Journey'' is a 2010 Nigerian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Chineze Anyaene and starring

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde Omotola Jalade Ekeinde ( ; born Omotola Jalade, 7 February 1978) is a Nigerian actress, singer, philanthropist and former model. Since her Nollywood film debut in 1995, Ekeinde has appeared in over 300 films, selling millions of copies. Omoto ...

Genevieve Nnaji Genevieve Nnaji (; born on 3 May 1979) is a Nigerian actress, producer, and director. She won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005, making her the first actor to win the award. In 2011, she was honoured as a ...

, and

Odalys García Odalys García (; born October 23, 1975) is a Cuban actress, model, singer and show host. García, born in Havana, Cuba, started by participating in dance demonstrations by the age of eight. At nine, she was admitted to the Alicia Alonso Schoo ...

Plot

Chioma (

) travels from Nigeria to the United States to aide her sister Anya (

) who is being charged with the murder of three men including her own husband.

Cast

*Jeff Swarthout *

Clem Ohameze Clem Ohameze is a Nigerian actor with two decades in acting. Clem Ohameze started professional acting in 1995. But his breakthrough role was in 1998 when he featured in a big-budget movie titled ''ENDTIME''. He has acted in over 500 movies in h ...

*Ulrich Que *Jon Woodward

Reception

Nollywood Reinvented rated the movie 68% and praised its ability to touch on a diversity of topics. ''The Independent'' wrote: "Ijé is an unsparing, outsider’s portrayal of America’s social prejudices, one that Hollywood films cannot construct themselves. Anyaene nails social comedy too; my favourite exchange involves the protagonist Chioma investigating an affluent white American home. A petite homeowner swings open the door and chirps, “We already give to the Jolie-Pitt fund every year…thank you though!” ". Film critic Gbenga Awomodu, reviewing for ''CP Africa'' praised the cinematography and acting, remarking that the film "brings to the fore some important themes in today's world, including love, racism, culture, stigma and life as an immigrant in a foreign country". He further emphasised that the film is illustrative of culture clashes between Nigeria and the US in attitude towards rape, and the culture of shame, silence and stigma associated with it. The film garnered the Award of Excellence at the

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, the Golden Ace Award at the Las Vegas International Film Festival, the Silver Palm Award at the

Mexico International Film Festival Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, the Melvin van Peebles Award at the San Francisco Black Festival, and the Festival Prize for Best International Student at Swansea Bay Film Festival.

Box office

''Ijé'' became the highest grossing Nigerian film, a record it held for four years, until it was overtaken in 2014 by ''

Half of a Yellow Sun ''Half of a Yellow Sun'' is a novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Published in 2006 by 4th Estate in London, the novel tells the story of the Biafran War through the perspective of the characters Olanna, Ugwu, and Richard. It rec ...

'' (2013).

References

External links