Film Image
Ọya: Something Happened On The Way To West Africa!
2015
Color
30 minutes
US/Nigeria
English

Ọya: Something Happened On The Way To West Africa!

In this documentary, Queer Gender-Non-Conforming Nigerian media artist Seyi Adebanjo tells a tale not often heard about gender and indigenous Yorùbá spirituality. ỌYA follows Seyi's journey to Nigeria, a journey to connect with Òrìṣà tradition, or African God/dess tradition, and the powerful legacy of the filmmaker's great grandmother, Chief Moloran Ìyá Ọlọ́ya.

This personal and political story vibrantly investigates the heritage of command, mythology, gender fluidity, womyn’s power and the hidden truth behind indigenous Yorùbá spirituality. As Seyi encounters many obstacles such as a national strike and anti-gay marriage legislation in the country, the film raises a critical question, will the artists be able to find self-affirmation as a person between genders/worlds and take on this inheritance in Nigeria?

This lyrical documentary illuminates the lives of Òrìṣà Ọya (Warrior Goddess), Chief Moloran Ìyá Ọlọ́ya and Seyi Adebanjo while interweaving Yorùbá mythology, poetry, performance, and expert interviews.
Pricing & Ordering
Buyer Type Format Sale Type Price
Higher Education Institutions Blu-Ray Sale $350.00
Higher Education Institutions DSL 1-year License $150.00
Higher Education Institutions DSL 3-years License $300.00
Higher Education Institutions DVD Sale $350.00
Higher Education Institutions Life Digital File License $600.00
K-12, Public Libraries & Select Groups DVD Sale $80.00
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Awards

• Best Documentary Short, Baltimore International Black Film Festival
Screenings
• Bronx Music Heritage Center (BMHC)
• Leslie-Lohman Museum
• Sydney Transgender International Film Festival
• Kelly Strayhorn Theater My People A Film Series in Color
• Black Documentary Collective
• Serrano Galleries of Fine Arts
• San Francisco Transgender Film Festival
• BlaktinX Performance Series
• The Center NYC
• Montrose Center
• Frenetic Theatre
• Rice Media Center
• LGBTQ Queer Center of Durham
• Fenway Community Health Center
• Joslyn Art Museum
• Bryant Lake Bow & Trylon Microcinema
• Gender Reel
• My People: A Film Series in Color
• Pride of the Ocean’s LGBT Film festival on the High Seas
• CineSLAM - Vermont’s LGBTQ Short Film Festival
• Luminal Theater
• Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival at ImageNation
• I Luv Africa Film Festival in Uganda
• I Luv Africa Film Festival in Ghana
• Maysles Cinema
• Baltimore International Black Film Festival
• Black Star Film Festival
• NewFest
• Brooklyn Museum
• Gender Reel NYU
• Bronx: Africa Exhibit, Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos

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TWN acknowledges that in New York we are on the unceded territory of the Lenni Lenape, Canarsie, Shinecock, and Munsee peoples and challenges the harm that continues to be inflicted upon Indigenous and People of Color communities here and abroad, which is why we all need to be part of the struggle for rights, equality and justice.

TWN is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Color Congress, MOSAIC, New York Community Trust, Peace Development Fund, Ford Foundation, Golden Globe Foundation, Kolibri Foundation and individual donors.