Daniel S.A.D Alaka, the S16 Rising Star behind About Sarah, has completed work on his latest animated short,I’m Gonna Kill Myself Tomorrow. The announcement comes six months after the project was first revealed, with the filmmaker sharing a preview and confirming positive feedback from test screenings ahead of further updates.
About Sarah premiered at the 2025 S16 Film Festival, where Alaka also received the festival’s Rising Star Award.
Speaking exclusively with The Nollywood Reporter, Alaka was careful not to reveal too much about the story, noting that audiences will likely interpret the film differently. While its title points to themes of suicide and depression, he says the film also examines society’s growing desensitization to serious issues.
“It also touches on a sort of desensitization to serious issues that we’ve seen over the years as a by-product of the entertainment age,” he says.
Unlike About Sarah, Alaka explains that the new film leans more heavily into black comedy, striking what he describes as a balance between humor and darker subject matter.
“There’s this tonal balance here between the humorous and the morbid that I managed to strike,” he says.
Alaka says his creative process typically begins with a simple premise before developing into a screenplay, visual style, character designs and storyboards. For this project, he drew inspiration from the mid-century animation style pioneered by UPA.
Although he handles most aspects of production himself, he collaborated with a background artist for this film, marking a departure from his previous work.
“I tend not to bother often with backgrounds, but for this film I collaborated with a colleague of mine, who’s a terrific background artist.”
On writing characters, Alaka says he draws heavily from personal experiences and everyday moments to make them feel authentic. Unlike About Sarah, the new film does not rely on a narrator, instead allowing viewers to form their own emotional connections with the characters.
Despite tackling difficult themes, Alaka stresses that I’m Gonna Kill Myself Tomorrow is not intended as a public service announcement on mental health.
“This isn’t really going to be a film that’s a PSA on mental health or anything. In a way, it’s something a bit more damning than that.”
Ultimately, he hopes the project demonstrates that independent animation can tell deeply human stories without requiring expensive production.
“I want to show that you don’t need to do so much for animation to tell a human story.”
Alaka adds that as animation production becomes increasingly expensive, he hopes simpler, more personal works like I’m Gonna Kill Myself Tomorrow encourage more African animators to tell stories on their own terms.
