Things looked further looked up for Kagho Idhebor on Saturday night as his The Broken Mask won the Best Short Film at the ongoing Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.
Thanking those who helped him to make it happen, he identified his wife for what he called her emotional support.
In the film, a mask maker struggles to come to terms with the realities of his daughter’s molestation, which awakens cosmic realities.
Idhebor had earlier said about the film: “My short film The Broken Mask won the audience choice award at S16 Festival where it had its world premiere in 2022 and since then, it has been screened at various international film festivals in Africa and Europe, including the Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt, Fondation du Festival International du Cinéma Africain in Morocco, Filmfest Dresden international short film festival Germany, Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen Netherlands. It will also have its East Africa premiere at the Zanzibar international film festival in June.
“My motivation for submitting my films to festivals is to be able to have my work seen by professional film practitioners from other countries and also be able to network, learn and interact with artists from other regions. There’s so much to learn from attending a film festival and I must say the feedback and responses have been very encouraging. Right now, my motivation to make films and my determination to make them well has tripled on multiple levels. I will encourage younger filmmakers to take time out and make films for festivals because there are a lot of open doors to explore.”
