Steve Chuks and Onyinye Odokoro will star in Home and Away, an upcoming short film written and directed by Mannie Oiseomaye, best known for his work on the movie Introducing the Kujus.
The film centres on siblings Obi (Chuks) and Uloma (Odokoro), whose lives have taken them in different directions and across national borders. When an unexpected family crisis brings their circumstances into focus, they are forced to confront the emotional ties, responsibilities and difficult choices that continue to shape their relationship despite the distance.
Oiseomaye developed the lead roles with both actors in mind. Drawing on his personal experiences, the filmmaker explores family relationships, separation and the challenges of maintaining close connections across borders.
Principal photography took place in Lagos, with Ashiaku Best Chukwuma serving as director of photography. Pear Pressure Productions and Steve Chuks Media Production jointly produced the project, with Oiseomaye and Chuks attached as producers.
Currently in post-production, Home and Away is scheduled to premiere on YouTube in December.
The film marks Oiseomaye's first project since completing film school. His previous credits include The Smart Money Woman, the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA)-nominated Anjola, Under the Influence and Makemation. He also received an Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Award (AMVCA) for co-writing Introducing the Kujus alongside Donald Tombia and Biodun Stephen.
Pear Pressure Productions, founded by Oiseomaye and Don Ekama, previously produced the marriage drama Secondhand. The company is also developing a political mockumentary series, with a pilot episode planned.
The project is another example of established Nollywood writers and actors using YouTube as a first window for short-form work, keeping control of the release while building an audience for longer projects.
For buyers of short-form and diaspora-themed content, an Igbo-and-English drama about families split across countries is a familiar, well-trodden theme.
