Arie Esiri (Director, Producer) Finding photography in Paris, Arie honed his craft before returning to England, where hebegan his film career working in the lighting department. In the work of Vittorio De Sica,Arie found a form of storytelling that could give voice to the long-neglected tales of theaverage Nigerian. He has a Masters of Fine Arts from Columbia University in New York.He and Chuko Esiri co-directed their short film "Goose," which premiered at the 2017 LAFilm Festival. They produced "Besida," directed by Chuko, an official selection at the 2018Berlin Film Festival. Arie also produced Chika Anadu’s AMAA and AFI Fest award-winning feature “B for Boy.” Arie’s work as a director has been featured on Vogue, Nownessand the Criterion Channel. He is an IFP Narrative Lab Fellow.

Chuko Esiri (Director, Producer) Miserable after graduating law school, Chuko moved to New York and worked on internships at Gersh and Innovative Artists, where he learned about the film business and discovered the concept of film school. Building on connections he made during his time inNew York, Chuko returned to Nigeria and produced Julius Onah’s "Big Man" as part ofFocus Features’ Africa First Program. He went on to make two more short films:"Goose,"co-directed with Arie, which premiered at the 2017 LA Film Festival, and "Besida," an official selection at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival. He has a Masters in Fine Arts from NewIFP Narrative Lab Fellow. Chuko has been in writers’ rooms for BBC and ITV series. He’scurrently writing a feature for Amazon Studios and Film4.

Jonathan Bloom (Cinematographer) Jonathan Bloom is a London-based cinematographer, director, and stills photographer.His credits include “The Last King of Scotland,” “Black Power: A British Story of Resistance,” and “Namastey London.” He holds a close personal connection to Nigeria, wherehe served as director of photography on “Clarissa,” shot on 35mm film.

Blair McClendon (Editor) Blair McClendon is an editor and writer working across fiction and documentary film. Hehas edited “The Assistant” (2019), “Aftersun” (2022), “Union” (2024) and “The LastShowgirl” (2024). His work has screened at international festivals including Sundance,Cannes, Tribeca, and TIFF. As a writer, he has contributed to publications including n+1,The New Republic, and The New Yorker. He lives in New York.