Movie tells of Aliyyah’s bizzare wish to ‘become a television’

The film’s title is full of suspense. But for hundreds of people who besieged the premises of the popular Freedom Park, Lagos to see the premiere of the playlet, it took not more than 11 minutes to unravel the riddle and comprehend the thematic message being passed across. Until it came on the screen, the […]

The film’s title is full of suspense. But for hundreds of people who besieged the premises of the popular Freedom Park, Lagos to see the premiere of the playlet, it took not more than 11 minutes to unravel the riddle and comprehend the thematic message being passed across.
Until it came on the screen, the rhetorical question on the lips of many who graced the session was: What can we say is Aliyyah’s wish?
“It’s the story a girl who craved so much for the attention of her parents but could not get one,” Aliyyah Ibidun, the nine-year-old JSSI student who acted the role of “Aliyyah” in the film, said.
“Rather than giving her the parental care and attention she craved for, they always devoted their time to watching movies. The girl was not happy and at a particular day in school when her teacher who also happens to be her mother asked all the pupils to write an essay on what they will like to become, she used the opportunity to convey her message.”
In writing her essay, Aliyyah stated that she would like to become a Television.  A television? “Yes. I wrote that I will like to become a television so that my parents can crave time to watch me from time-to-time,” Aliyyah said.
Her message truly resonated. Aliyyah’s mother, upon her return home, resumed another movie-watching session with her husband, while marking the scripts of her pupils. She came across that of her child and she realized that the import of the message was directed at her. She busted into tears. Her husband who sought to know what was wrong asked what was wrong and it was at the time his wife handed over to him the essay written by their daughter.
Stupified with what he read, he called Aliyyah and together with the mother, begged her and gave her affectionate hugs to bring the film to its end.
Recounting her experience in the film production, Aliyyah said it was stressful, fun and exciting for her. “It’s my first movie experience and I intend to pick it up from here, going forward,” she said.
As it was the first movie experience for Aliyyah, so it was the film to be directed and produced by Jamiu Shoyode. In his account, Jamiu narrated the challenges he had to contend with from scripting, to assembling cast and crew and shooting the film.
“Though the idea started with a story someone sent to me on Facebook.  I re-worked it and added more details. But then, we got stuck with the finance needed to pull through. It took us six months to get to where we are because we started-off in April. The conservative estimation we were working with at the time was N1.5m. But I didn’t have it.
“I spoke with friends and relatives who could helped in raising the needed fund but it was really difficult to make headway. Some other people then advised that if help won’t be forthcoming in cash, I can still get it in kind. And that was exactly what I did. In the end, I was able to get the location of the school we used for free, secured a friend’s room as Aliyyah’s family apartment, got costume for free as well,” Shoyode said.