Chika Quotes & Sayings

In the beginning was the sea, and the sea was the world — Chika Onyenezi

She cries quietly, her shoulders heaving up and down, not the kind of loud sobbing that the women Chika knows do, the kind that screams Hold me and comfort me because I cannot deal with this alone. The woman's crying is private, as though she is carrying out a necessary ritual that involves no one else. — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

It was never a deliberate decision to make films about the 'woman experience'. Having said that, we are all many things - for example I'm Igbo and Nigerian, a director, a filmmaker etc., but I feel what affects me the most, especially the way people/society view or treat me, is the fact that I'm a woman, and I'm fascinated by that. — Chika Anadu

Nollywood is a genre, and not the entire Nigerian film industry. However none of the 'New wave' of directors in Nigeria would know what was possible without the Nollywood model, so I'm grateful to them for showing us that our stories are of interest to people other than Nigerians. I would describe myself as a filmmaker, period. — Chika Anadu

While my work is usually about the Igbo woman experience, there are many aspects of my female characters that women everywhere can and do relate to. — Chika Anadu

I definitely don't intend to only make films about Nigerians or Africans. I want to make films about people, any people. — Chika Anadu

The audience I'm targeting doesn't care about the language spoken in the films they watch. They're interested in more important things like story, performance, cinematography etc. — Chika Anadu

I have loved filmed from when I was a child, but I never considered it as a future career. — Chika Anadu

What makes you heal? What makes you strong? — Chika Shiomi

My favourite films are in languages I don't understand. — Chika Anadu

It grew louder, siren crying from her the depth of very voice; Sweet melodies to
guide me to the underworld. — Chika Onyenezi

As a filmmaker you make your films with the audience you want to attract in mind. — Chika Anadu

I was having tea with a guy I was introduced to, about the possibility of working with him at his production company. He asked me if I'd written anything, and I said yes. Then he said 'why don't you just shoot it'? And I thought, "duh!" Best advice I ever got. — Chika Anadu

Three directors whose work directly influences mine are Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aronofsky and Susanne Bier (her Danish films). You'll notice that they all don't make feel good movies, same as me, and their films are always visually simple but beautiful (and I hope mine are!). — Chika Anadu

There are a lot of filmmakers I love whose work doesn't inspire mine at all. For example: Quentin Tarantino. From his films you can see that he has a wicked sense of humour, and I love that! — Chika Anadu

I prefer to discover new talent by holding open auditions. — Chika Anadu

I entered the film industry sprinting, but not for long. — Chika Anadu

Darkness has conquered the day; the arms of the night slapped the living daylight off the day.Gripping. Killing. Totally overwhelming. The taste of darkness bitters my mouth
as I struggled against unnumbered foes. — Chika Onyenezi

There was no way I was going back to school to study anything for another three or four years. I was done with that. So I tried working on other people's projects, but didn't find any where I felt I could learn what I needed to learn. — Chika Anadu

While I was doing the residency in Paris, I found out that I was chosen as one of the five winners of the Focus Features Africa First Program. All this happened less than a year after I made my first two short films. — Chika Anadu

But sometimes, it is not the thing that we fear most that crushes us but that which we have forgotten to fear. — Chika Unigwe