Nneoha Ann Aligwe’s “Born Different” Challenges Body and Beauty Standards in Society

Nneoha Ann Aligwe’s 2020 documentary, “Born Different”, has been selected for this year’s IRepresent International Documentary Festival, a platform that amplifies socially relevant films under the theme Freedom, Rights, and Responsibility.

The film follows the life of Grace Okhime, who went viral in 2020 after sharing her struggle to secure employment due to her skin condition, neurofibromatosis. Moved by Okhime’s resilience, Aligwe sought her out on Facebook, determined to amplify her story.

“I felt strangely compelled to tell Grace’s story in 2020 when she shared her struggles with landing a decent job because of her skin condition. I searched for her on Facebook, reached out, and from the moment we connected, I was drawn to her resilience. I also understood, in a way, why people were hesitant to associate with her. It’s human nature to react to things we don’t understand. Most times, it’s out of ignorance rather than malice. But beyond that, Grace was brilliant, kind, and full of life. I knew this documentary had to be more than just a film, it had to be an extension of herself, a way to make her voice permanent,” Aligwe said.

Born Different was selected alongside 39 other documentaries, including Femi Odugbemi’s “Ode to Leah Sharibu by Wole Soyinka”, Joel Benson’s “Mothers of Chibok”, Remi Vaughan-Richards’ “Sin is a Puppy That Follows You Home”, Isaac N. Akan’s “The Bitter Feminist”, and Solape Azazi’s “Echoes of Hope: Navigating Autism in Nigeria”, among others.

The film will be screened on March 30 at Freedom Park.