Tolu Joseph: “It Takes a Lot of Creativity to Tell a Compelling Story Within as Little Time as Possible.”

Since the selection of his film “Zion” for the Lift-Off Global Network Festival, Tolu Joseph, a twenty-one-year old filmmaker and Computer Engineering student at Covenant University, has been nothing short of pleased. His film “Zion” tells of a struggling teenage girl in Mainland Lagos who discovers new hope in the presence of God. It is based on the book of poems, “ZION,” by June Olu. Its themes are religion and mental health.

The Lift-off Global Network Festival is an international film festival founded in 2010 with its headquarters at Pinewood Studios, United Kingdom, known for highlighting the work of young, independent filmmakers and emerging directors from all over the world. Following Joseph’s announcement of this amazing achievement on social media, TNR contacted Tolu for an exclusive interview.

Tolu Joseph let us peek into the life that birthed the selected film. He narrated, “My name is Toluwanimi Enoch Joseph. I’m twenty-one years old and the firstborn of a family of three children. I’m a final-year Computer Engineering student at Covenant University. I love writing; I’ve been writing since I was a child, and have won many awards for writing,

I also really love film; I have so many distinct memories of my mother indulging in my love for films as a child with this huge collection of DVDs of Nollywood, Hollywood, and Bollywood movies. I also love science and research and enjoy finding out about discoveries. I’m an ambivert who enjoys reading, listening to all types of music, being with my friends, and trying out new stuff. ”

Speaking on his reaction to the selection of his film, “Zion,” Joseph explained, “My initial reaction was elation. Submitting to the festival itself was an impulse decision. I had spoken to my friend that night and he asked if I had submitted to any festival before. I had not and he said, ‘What do you have to lose for putting yourself out there?’ So, I decided to take a chance on myself and submit to as many as I could, and the earliest notification ended up being the Lift-Off Global Film Festival.”

When asked about the inspiration for “Zion,” he said, “The film was inspired by my friend June’s (June Olu) cathartic book of poems with the same title. She reached out to me earlier this year with the idea of adapting her book into a short film, and I jumped at the challenge of creating a vision out of someone else’s work. The main thing June wanted to achieve with the film was an avenue for someone going through a similar situation to feel heard and find hope, and I think we managed to achieve that.”

Joseph applied to the festival through Film Freeway, a channel for filmmakers to submit their films to various major festivals around the world, including Nigerian festivals. He said, “I observed that Lift-Off focuses mostly on providing independent filmmakers with a global platform to showcase their work, interact with other independent filmmakers, and experience cinema from every part of the world. So naturally, my interest was piqued, and I decided to apply.”

Since it is one thing to have a dream and another to have it come true, Joseph’s dream was not without challenges. He recalled, “My biggest challenge in making this film was finding a way to adjust my vision to reality. My initial idea, which I was very adamant about bringing to life, was a lot more than we could do, so I had to adapt. I learned a lot about the collaborative and compromising nature of filmmaking. I think the experience will help a lot in my future projects.”

TNR asked Joseph why he chose a Vimeo release. In answer, he responded, “I suggested a Vimeo release because of the professionalism that it offers. I think for upcoming filmmakers, having a place where all your films can be easily accessed in the highest quality is important and Vimeo offers that. “Zion” will be available on Vimeo and YouTube.”

In response to his thoughts on the underappreciation of short films in Nollywood, Joseph exclaimed, “Yes! Short films are underappreciated in Nollywood. Short films are a beautiful art form that many people consider as only a way for upcoming filmmakers to start. It takes a lot of creativity to tell a compelling story within as little time as possible. I think the same applies to short stories, which is how I’ve mostly written in the past few years.

There’s a pristine nature to the short film; one can describe it as freeing. You’re free to explore outside of the boundaries of a feature film because your only restriction is time. They have smaller budgets, smaller crews, and smaller sets. What this gives you is so much more room to do what you want within the time that you have set for the film.”

Taking us on his future journey, Joseph revealed, “Next up for me is finishing well, graduating from Covenant University, and then working on the next few film projects I have lined up, all of which are diverse stories that I’m so excited for. I plan on pursuing filmmaking full-time, but I have also accepted that I may have to do it with something else until I reach a certain level of self-sustenance,

I think that what film provides me is a self-expression ultimatums through the combination of already well-established art forms and I want to use this beautiful youthful medium to tell stories that are personal to me, and hopefully to a large audience, deep into my life. Like the legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa once said, ‘I am now seventy-seven years old and am convinced that my real work is just beginning.’”

For Joseph, the most unexpected thing about all this is how much traction “Zion” is getting. He explained, “Before this, all the short films I’ve done have been experimental shorts with my siblings that were never publicly announced. Because this is my first publicly announced short film, I didn’t expect so many people to be as invested in this project as they are. It’s a pleasant surprise. I hope the original intentions of making the film are accomplished and people can relate to the film’s message of finding relief and new hope in your already established faith.”

Produced by Olu, directed by Joseph, and co-directed by Ife Olutayo, “Zion” has was selected for the Lift-off Global Film Festival which took place last month, and the short film has been released globally.

Watch the trailer here.