Private Project

Yahoo +

Frustrated by their failure to break into Nollywood, two friends - Ose, a filmmaker and Abacha, an actor, venture into internet scam (Yahoo). It doesn’t pay them as fast as they envisaged; so they decide to find a faster approach – Yahoo + (internet scam with the use of juju). Luckily, they get an offer from Mansa, a Hong Kong-based fraudster who promises to take them under his wings. But first, they have to carry out human sacrifices. They’re to do that at one of Mansa’s properties with the help of his associate, Ikolo. Ose and Abacha would bring two people to the property, drug them and leave the rest for Ikolo.

Ose makes some arrangements with a student cum sex worker, Pino-Pino. She’s to come with one of her colleagues. The colleague turns out to be Abacha’s girlfriend, Kamso. That leads them into a quagmire that'd forever change the course of their lives.

  • Ebuka Michael Njoku
    Director
    15 Minutes
  • Ebuka Michael Njoku
    Writer
    Ordinar Fellows, Crazy Lovely Cool (creator)
  • Lorenzo Tochukwu Menakaya
    Producer
    Ordinary Fellows
  • Ebuka Michael Njoku
    Producer
  • Ken Erics
    Key Cast
    "Ikolo"
    Ọmụgwọ, Okafor's Law, The Bridge, Seven and Half Dates
  • Echelon Lilian Mbadiwe
    Key Cast
    "Kamso"
    Black Rose, Lily's New Friend
  • Ifeoma Obinwa
    Key Cast
    "Pino-Pino "
    Gifted, Love Portion, Mustafa
  • Somadina Adinma
    Key Cast
    "Abacha "
    Speak The Word, Ordinary Fellows,
  • Lorenzo Menakaya
    Key Cast
    "Mansa"
    Agwaetiti Obiụtọ, Ordinary Fellows, Crazy Lovely Cool
  • Keezyto Izuchukwu
    Key Cast
    "Ose"
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 24 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 18, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Nigeria
  • Country of Filming:
    Nigeria
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Ebuka Michael Njoku

Born in 1992, Ebuka Njoku grew up on a steady diet of movies. At eight, he saw Titanic and realized he’d never be a Doctor, Lawyer or Engineer as his family expected of him. He’d later gain admission to study Theatre and Films in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

In his first year, he watched Kunle Afolayan’s The Figurine: the movie that changed his perception of Nollywood. That same year, he wrote his first screenplay. A year later, he directed his first short film. In 2013, the year he left UNN, his short film got four nominations in In-short Film Festival and a nomination in the Best Short Film Category of Nollywood Movies Awards. That same year, his screenplay; Bola’s Dirge earned him his first screenwriting award in Homevida Short Script Competition.

Over time, Ebuka has been privileged to work with some of the best Nigerian screenwriters and film-makers - Yinka Ogun, Obi Emelonye, Kemi Adesoye, Onyeka Nwelue, Ayo Adeyanju and Nkiru Njoku. He has also attended lots of film workshops and masterclasses across the country.

In 2016, he created ‘Crazy Lovely Cool’; a coming of age series produced by Trace TV, Directed by Obi Emelonye. It later became one of the first Nigerian series to make it to Netflix. A born storyteller, a student of life, a lover of all things beautiful, he believes that Nollywood is the greatest thing to happen to Nigeria after her independence. He hopes to change the world one film at a time.

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Director Statement

This movies is hugely inspired by Flavour and Umu Obiligbo’s ‘Isi Onwe’. The song expresses how people often come to realize when it’s too late that things hardly turn out as expected. Making it in Nigeria is the definition of hard. So, many youths opt for illegal means of doing that. Currently, yahoo (internet scam) seems to be the easy way out. But yahoo is not that easy. So some take it to the next level by adding something diabolic to it - Yahoo Plus (internet scam with the aid of juju). Even that is hardly as it seems.
Shot in long takes - one for each scene, and lit the most natural way possible, Yahoo + is meant to be more than just a movie. The idea is to make it seem like some real life incident captured by a third eye.
The idea behind Yahoo + is not to answer questions – that job is better left for religions and schools. The idea is to throw light on the challenges of trying to make it illegally in Nigeria. What does yahoo plus really entail? What happens when you realize that the girl you’re dating is a sex worker? What happens when the person you intend to use for a human sacrifice ends up someone you love? What happens when a friend you plan doing something illegal with bails on you? What happens when you’re to choose between some millions and a friend’s life? Is money ritual real as painted in some movies we grew up watching? What’s the meaning of friendship? How much can you give up for love? And how much can you give up for money? What makes one good or bad? What’s the essence of life? In between those questions is also a great story of love, friendship, life, death and desperation. The dialogue is written in a fine blend of English, Pidgin-English and Igbo to make the story true to its Enugu setting, relatable to the average Nigerian audience and exotic to foreign audience. With a fine blend of romance, action, horror and dark comedy, Yahoo + is sure to offer quality entertainment and diverse perspectives to its audience.