Nigerian filmmaker Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim is making history in her new movie Ife, where she focuses on a love story between two lesbians. According to the fil maker, Ife is a Yoruba word meaning love.

The movie is set to be the first pro-lesbian film to be locally produced in Nigerian, something that the makers hope will change the general narrative of the LGBTI community in the West African nation.

“We only see stories about LGBT people that condemn us, to say that we are people to be beaten, sometimes even killed. That is the kind of narrative that we get from Nollywood but that is not the reality. We are human beings too, just like everybody else,” Pamela Adie the producer of the movie told Premium Times.

Asked if they were worried about the movie getting poor reviews or being banned, Aide narrated that they were not really concerned about people who wouldn’t like the film.

“If you don't like it, don't like it, there is nothing we can do about that. When we released the poster a week ago, the reception we got was just amazing. People have been calling us about it. We are not worried about any backlash. I mean, some people may not like it, not everybody will like what you like and that's okay," she said.

It was also revealed that there are plans in the pipelines to release other queer themed movies in the future in the hope that they will slowly change perspectives about LGBTI individuals in Nigeria.

The storyline focuses on two lovers Ife and Adaora who are uncertain about their future together. It was produced in partnership with Equality Hub, a nonprofit in Nigeria that fights for the rights of gender and sexual minorities

EDITOR’S NOTE: Additional informational sourced from AllAfrica.com