Nigerian-American creative director and actor Shalom Obiago, professionally known as Shalom, is marking a major milestone with his directorial debut. The founder of Byson House and Films recently earned a selection at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival for his short film Sandwich.
In an exclusive interview with The Nollywood Reporter, Obiago discusses the inspiration behind the film, what the HollyShorts recognition means to him, and his mission to create space for people who exist in cultural in-betweens, particularly Nigerian Americans.
Obiago said Sandwich grew out of a lifelong struggle with identity, describing years of feeling caught between two cultures without fully belonging to either, “SANDWICH came from a real frustration I’ve carried most of my life: not feeling Black enough, not feeling Nigerian enough,” he said, explaining that he often felt compelled to perform different versions of himself depending on his surroundings.
Although rooted in his own experience, Obiago believes the story speaks to anyone who has struggled to find a sense of belonging, “Growing up, my identity felt like it existed in a sort of limbo, floating between two worlds but fully belonging to neither one. Sandwiched in between.”
Rather than offering easy answers, Obiago said he intentionally built moments of absurdity into the film to surprise viewers before inviting them to reflect more deeply on its themes.
Ultimately, he said, Sandwich argues that identity is not about choosing between cultures but embracing the entirety of who you are,”You’re not caught in between two things. You’re not in the sandwich. You are the sandwich.”
That philosophy also informed his visual approach. Obiago deliberately set the film in a sparse, single-location white room to create the feeling of being inside the protagonist’s mind. He also used blocking and composition to reinforce the character’s emotional isolation, frequently positioning the protagonist between other characters to echo the film’s central metaphor.
Obiago said making Sandwich required him to embrace vulnerability. Although he initially felt the story was too personal to share, he eventually realised that its specificity was what gave it universal appeal.
Reflecting on the film’s HollyShorts selection, he described the recognition as both validating and encouraging, particularly as he continues expanding beyond acting into directing, “I’ve learned nobody respects what you say you do. They only respect what you actually do.”
Looking ahead, Obiago hopes to continue telling stories that centre Nigerian-American experiences and the complexities of living between cultures. He believes that space has remained largely unexplored despite its potential to strengthen connections between African and American audiences.
“I want to continuously carve out space for people existing in that in-betweenNigerian Americans, in my case. Historically there’s been a disconnect between Africans and Americans, and I think telling more stories from that middle ground is an opportunity to bring cultures closer and expand people’s appetites for each other’s experiences.”
