Nigerian filmmaker Damilola Adeyeri is developing Itewogba, a film that explores identity, belonging, and the emotional realities of immigration through the story of an African student adjusting to life in the United States.
Adeyeri, also known as Dami Ade, is a writer, director and colorist currently studying at the New York Film Academy. Speaking with The Nollywood Reporter, she described the project as a deeply personal story shaped by her own experiences living abroad.
According to the filmmaker, Itewogba follows Imani, an African student immigrant struggling to adapt to life in America without losing the person they were before leaving home.
“Imani finds it increasingly difficult to find a sense of belonging,” Adeyeri said. “The story is really about the quiet emotional weight of immigration and what it means to survive in a new culture without losing yourself.”
Beyond identity and self-acceptance, the film also examines the pressure immigrants face to succeed, the responsibility of supporting family back home and the expectations often placed on firstborn children in many African households.
For Adeyeri, those themes are closely tied to realities she has witnessed firsthand since relocating to the United States. She said many immigrants slowly lose parts of themselves while trying to fit into unfamiliar environments.
“You leave home carrying your language, traditions and sense of identity, but over time those things can begin to fade,” she explained. “Those personal experiences inspired the story and its themes.”
The filmmaker added that while many immigration stories focus on visas, travel or economic opportunities, she wanted Itewogba to pay closer attention to the emotional and psychological effects of displacement.
According to her, the project aims to explore loneliness, cultural disconnect and the struggle to maintain one’s identity while adapting to a different society.
Adeyeri is also seeking support for the project through crowdfunding, which she described as an opportunity to build a community around the film before production is completed.
“While traditional financing is a valuable route, I wanted audiences to become part of the filmmaking journey from the very beginning,” she said.
She added that supporters will receive rewards based on their contribution level, including screen credits, production updates, access to the completed film and invitations to screenings and festival events.
For the filmmaker, however, the project extends beyond fundraising. She said she hopes Itewogba will resonate with audiences within Africa and across the diaspora who rarely see these experiences represented in this way.
“Supporting this film is not simply supporting me as a filmmaker,” Adeyeri said. “It is supporting a story about identity, belonging, sacrifice and self-acceptance.”
She added that she hopes viewers will see parts of themselves reflected in Imani’s journey and feel less alone in their experiences.
