Private Project

Boys On The Brink: A Journey to Manhood

BOYS ON THE BRINK documentary is a coming-of-age subject-driven documentary that focuses on 6 young males across 6 communities in Lagos, Nigeria: Epe, Tarkwa Bay, Lagos Island, Victoria Island, Orile and Ajegunle. They are the boys that form a unique demographic that has often been ignored, underestimated and even disregarded - these soon to be husbands/fathers/leaders typically lack accountable guiding figures as they struggle to survive and become men simultaneously. This documentary presents an evocative story-telling of them, by them and for them.

Ultimately, we aim to weave together a timeless story that highlights the core substances of the hearts of young boys pursuing the act of ‘becoming a man’ whilst navigating several hardships in its purest form. This story is driven by our keen interest to bring attention to the undermined victories and overlooked struggles contained within daily life of the average Nigerian youth. With this project, we also aim to consciously declare a state of concern for an underrated crisis and further enable a long-term resolution for Nigerian stakeholders.

  • Peter Oghenetega Oke
    Director
    Happy Hour
  • Rume Renee Onosode
    Director
  • Peter Oghenetega Oke
    Producer
    Happy Hour
  • Rume Renee Onosode
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Coming-of-age
  • Runtime:
    58 minutes
  • Country of Origin:
    Nigeria
  • Country of Filming:
    Nigeria
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Capri, Hollywood - The International Film Festival Capri, Hollywood - The International Film Festival
    Capri
    Italy
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Peter Oghenetega Oke, Rume Renee Onosode

Peter is a media consultant, director, producer, cinematographer and screenwriter with a family background in media and a passion for storytelling. He has over 5 years of experience in creative media, a period where he has directed, produced and written commissioned documentaries, feature length screenplays and a series of short films, some of which have been selected at film festivals. His short films have a total of 8 Festival selections with 2 nominations including Best Short film at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival. He is the also director and co-creator of "Rate The Date" a reality TV dating show for Accelerate TV, an online entertainment platform. Peter's ethos is edutainment though compelling and impactful stories displayed with vivid and aesthetically pleasing images.

Rume is a graduate of the University of Warwick with a BA in Sociology. An avid enthusiast of development projects, social work and volunteering, she is currently working in Impact Marketing with a Nigerian advertising firm, Yellow Brick Road. Prior, she was the Events’ Manager and Coordinator at the hospitality centre for EbonyLife TV, EbonyLifePlace, where she spearheaded a series of specially curated events in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture. Rume is also the founder of The Earth Alternative, a social initiative focused on tackling marginality through creative and effective alternative solutions to enable more inclusive, sustainable communities.

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Director Statement

The relevance of the story lies in the fact that these boys represent an underprivileged majority in Nigeria as aforementioned. Post the EndSars movement (2020) and the Twitter ban (2021), amidst widespread economic uncertainty, national insecurity and political instability, there has been a hyper-focus on the Nigerian youth. This documentary aims to provide an authentic reference point especially for the evolving young Nigerian male who continuously craves a collective voice that champions a sense of unity, truth and hope.

Consequently, there has been a recent rise in seemingly displaced young men, originally from impoverished areas, roaming the major hubs of the city due to the proximity to more lucrative opportunities. Unfortunately, they are immediately stereotyped as "area boys" (hoodlums). Due to this restrictive profiling, their opportunities are limited, therefore exposing them to more extreme choices that could significantly impact their life's trajectory, usually for worse. The boys could one day be elected into office by a local constituency or left to rot in jail for alleged fraud. Either way, this is a necessary story and such coming-of-age perspectives have not been adequately depicted in this way, especially in Nigeria.

In a time when empowering gender-centric movements are undoubtedly prevalent, there is insubstantial discourse to pull young men along especially in the less developed world with many predominantly patriarchal features. The probable effect would be an unmissable difference between the self-evolution of both sexes in coming years, with more knowledge-charged females actualising and more alienated males under-performing.

We shall be unveiling the sheer optimistic facets of a predominantly negative situation. Boys On The Brink will spotlight what surviving and becoming a man means to the average boy living in Lagos in its simplest and purest form.

Several conversations and trips to these areas were made by the directors. The directors took time to explain to the boys and their caregivers exactly what the documentary is about and built trust over time before these boys let them in and opened up about their personal experiences and struggles.It took about 2 years from conception to completion of the project.

Presently, the documentary has been shown to a selected group of about 150 people in relevant industries. The films style of storytelling, cinematography, score was highly praised as well as the way the subject matter was handled.

North of 5 million naira was raised from people in the crowd towards the betterment of the lives of the boys, 2 of which were revealed to be secretly among the audience.