18.11.23 Closing

The film is an Afrofuturist story set in a village in Burundi made of computer parts, and centers on the relationship between Neptune, an intersex runaway, and Matalusa, a coltan miner, whose love leads a hacker collective.

Bambino has settled into his life as a single man. His delivery driver job in Lagos means that he has a steady income, even if the promised promotion is a long time coming. He is appreciated by the neighbourhood; he helps out financially where he can and is generous when people are late repaying him. His neighbour Ifeyinwa’s advances leave him cold, but when he meets the charismatic Bawa, the two immediately hit it off. A photo competition sees the two men driving around the city together on day-long explorations with increasing frequency. As Bawa looks at him through his camera lens, it soon becomes clear that he sees in Bambino not only a good model but also more than just a friend.
Director, screenwriter and producer Babatunde Apalowo takes the title of his film at its word. Using an unobtrusive colour composition, he tells a restrained and tender story of two men who become close in a society in which same-sex sexual relations are considered taboo and are liable for prosecution. Their dance around each other unfolds slowly, in images that are concentrated and filled with calm. A sensual and politically important film from Nigeria about finding love where you least expect it.

Liv is in her early twenties. She works at her family’s garden center in the province. Totally unprepared, she falls in love with the chaotic but spirited Andrea. Andrea has sought refuge at her uncle’s idyllic apple plantation because of stress. Liv has barely cut the umbilical cord from her parents when Andrea bursts into her life. Her encounter with Andrea becomes the catalyst for an identity crisis, which teaches Liv that love and family do not come in a particular form but may take many different shapes. THE VENUS EFFECT is a romantic comedy about daring to love another person and yourself – a funny, warm tale about family and finding yourself through love.