Orobosa Ikponmwen’s upcoming feature film, Pushing 30, will premiere on Africa Magic Showcase on October 18, marking a television debut for the project after the team initially considered releasing it on YouTube.
Ikponmwen, whose credits include the award-winning short film BODMAS, says YouTube was initially being considered as a distribution option before the producers changed direction.
“We were initially looking at YouTube, but the producers later pivoted in that direction,” she tells The Nollywood Reporter (TNR).
The director says the film’s eventual home on Africa Magic Showcase is also significant because of the platform’s contribution to the Nigerian film industry and its support for the project.
“Personally, it’s an honour to have my film be shown on the platform,” she says.
Beyond its distribution journey, Pushing 30 draws from Ikponmwen’s interest in the different personalities that can exist within a close-knit group.
The film explores the tensions that emerge among friends, including personality clashes, dating issues, hidden secrets, jealousy, envy and betrayal. At the same time, the relationships contain genuine affection and moments of laughter.
“It’s like a breeding ground for chaos,” Ikponmwen says.
That combination is part of what drew her to the project. She says she made Pushing 30 for people like herself who enjoy stories centred around complicated friendship groups.
For Ikponmwen, one of the biggest challenges was maintaining the story’s direction through the difficulties that came with production and pre-production.
The film also addresses the expectations that often surround turning 30, particularly the pressure to have one’s career, relationships and finances figured out by that age.
Ikponmwen’s message to viewers is that reaching 30 does not mean having every part of life settled.
She acknowledges that the pressure can come from both within and outside the individual, while pointing out that people who appear to have everything together may also be figuring out parts of their lives privately.
“The world, situations, relationships, finances, will all change. You will change. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because it means that there will always be multiple ways to get to where you want to go,” she adds.
Written by Mannie Oiseomaye, Pushing 30 follows a 30-year-old tech founder whose birthday brunch brings unresolved issues to the surface, forcing her friendship group to confront secrets and tensions.
The young adult drama stars Deji Osikoya, Darasimi Ogbetah, Mayowa Mula, Kanaga Emmanuel Eme, Kanyin Eros, Uzor Daniel, Sharon Rotimi, Doris Okorie and Floyd Igbo.
Pushing 30 premieres on Africa Magic Showcase on October 18.
