Stephanie Linus’ tear-jerker, Dry, premieres in Abuja

The plight of women and girls suffering from Vesicovaginal Fistula, VVF, is the focus of Stephanie Linus new movie Dry: I Want to Be a Girl Again, which premiered in Abuja Thursday at the Silverbird Entertainment Centre. The movie, which moved many in the audience to tears featured a stellar ensemble including Stephanie Linus, who […]

The plight of women and girls suffering from Vesicovaginal Fistula, VVF, is the focus of Stephanie Linus new movie Dry: I Want to Be a Girl Again, which premiered in Abuja Thursday at the Silverbird Entertainment Centre.
The movie, which moved many in the audience to tears featured a stellar ensemble including Stephanie Linus, who directed and produced and played the leading role and English actor Darwin Shaw. The film also marked the return of Liz Ameye (Liz Benson) to the screen.
Kannywood stars Hauwa Maina, Tijjani Faraga and Rahama Hassan among others also had stellar roles in the movie  while veteran Olu Jacob completed the star cast of the movie.
The story follows Dr Zara (Stephanie Linus) who reluctantly returns to Nigeria to help repair women with VVF while searching for her daughter lost at birth. The story also follows the story of teenage bride Halima (Zubaida Ibrahim Fagge), who, having been forced into marriage with a man four times her age and abuse is forced to endure the humiliation that comes with being afflicted by VVF.
Brutal and emotive, this is a movie with a message as Linus clearly set out to convey.
Speaking ahead of the premiere, Linus said, “This story is not just a work of fiction. There are people out there living these lives and I decided to do something about it.”
She also used the opportunity to thank her husband, Mr Linus Idahosa, who has been very supportive and instrumental in the work she has been doing as well as the agencies that partnered with her to make the movies possible .
Her Extended Hands Foundation is reaching out to women suffering from VVF to make an impact on their lives and the movie premiere was also an opportunity to raise funds for the projects of the foundation.
Also speaking, Hauwa Maina said she did not hesitate when she was offered a role in the movie saying, “This is a movie with a very strong message and it was an opportunity for me to help advance the cause of these women and impact on the society.
“I urge everyone to go watch this movie and change our perceptions about the people suffering from this malaise.”
The movie was made possible with the support of various agencies like the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, Diamond Bank, Aberystwyth University, Wales, Ford Foundation, Project Act Nollywood, USAID and Vlisco, among others.
The movie saw stellar performances from Stephanie Okereke in the role of the troubled Dr. Zara who had a dark secret which haunts her. Tijjani Faraga was outstanding in his role as young Halima’s husband, convincing in his brutality and hunger for the young girl and the steely hand with which he lorded it over his harem of four wives, and his mother.
And though young, and limited in her delivery of lines, young Zubaida Ibrahim Fagge was able to deliver empathy and win over the viewers with a great debut performance, managing to deliver the most powerful line in the movie when she asks her co-wife, Fatima (Rahama Hassan, who was also outstanding) if she could make her a girl again. One could hear the audience moan at that line.
The technical quality could have been better, but there is so, so much to see in this powerful movie, which was shot in locations in Wales and Nigeria.