For Love

Nkechi, an illegal immigrant, who’s been hiding for three years, lives with her girlfriend Martha and their two other friends Dolapo and Tolu. When immigration does a random check on Dolapo, both Nkechi and Martha are forced to make decisions about their love and their future together.

  • Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
    Director
  • Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
    Writer
  • Emily Morgan
    Producer
  • Ann Akinjirin
    Key Cast
    "Martha"
  • Marcy Dolapo Oni
    Key Cast
    "Nkechi"
  • Damola Adelaja
    Key Cast
    "Tolu"
  • Diana Yekinni
    Key Cast
    "Dolapo"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 33 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 16, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor

With a background in theatre and a degree in Creative Writing, Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor started producing shorts and music videos as a way to learn, as the cost of Film School was too high. Her work focuses primarily on Queer, black and female work. She formed her own way of training, by making content outside of the industry, including two no- budget feature films, M.L.E and White Colour Black. In 2016, she was selected for the BFI Flare Mentorship scheme with Ben Roberts, CEO of BFI, as her mentor. In 2019, she produced the hit Blue Story, which became the top grossing film of its genre. In 2020, she was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow and a BAFTA Breakthrough.
For Love is Joy’s first short and was made with support from BBC Film. Following on with the themes in the short that are close to Joy’s heart, she has her debut feature in development with the BFI and Producer Emily Morgan.

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Director Statement

For Love is a piece about the constant search for hope and love while living life as an immigrant. It doesn’t focus on what immigration is, or what people have gone through to get there, because the film intends to humanise immigrants, specifically asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.

Falling in love, finding hope and joy is something you seek in order to feel alive and normal. It’s part of who we are as individuals. Nkechi loves Martha, but she’s tired of constantly running and living in the shadows. She decides to take a big risk, in the hope that everything will turn out right. For Nkechi, choosing to seek asylum knowing that she may be detained or may be sent home doesn’t matter, what matters are the ‘what ifs’ that give her hope – what if she gets to stay? What if she can be with Martha? What if she can have a normal life?

The ceremony is a symbol of their love - the ritual of putting on clothes, putting on make- up, of knowing that you’re giving yourself to this one person you adore and celebrating with friends – it’s symbolic. I didn’t want to delve into the other ‘realistic’ things that people think about when it comes to these kind of ceremonies, because this isn’t a real wedding in the traditional sense, it’s a celebration of love in a place that we don’t usually get to witness.
At the end of the film, you’re hit by the reality of what immigrants go through - pain, loss and love.

We’re all in this together.