Creating or acting in a film is a challenging task, but when the project carries a powerful message, such as addressing mental health and abuse, the difficulty multiplies. This is precisely what Ted Makunjuola faced with her directorial debut A Night In 2005. She undertook the challenge of crafting a film that authentically portrays the complexities of abuse within a society like ours.

Over the years Efa Iwara has always been the lady’s man in the stories we see him in, with his character “Tayo” in The Men’s Club being an unforgettable one. But this time, he returns to the big screen after a hiatus, playing a deeply intense character different from what we are used to. His portrayal of Opeyemi Dada in the film explores a man on the brink of political power, haunted by the shadows of his troubled past. For the first time in a long while we get to understand the antagonists’ actions and driving force with this stellar performance.

In this exclusive interview with BSide, Ted Makunjuola and Efa Iwara delve into the making of A Night in 2005 and the inspiration behind its gripping story. The feature film is currently ranked among the top five movies at the Nigerian box office.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Bside: In one word or phrase, describe A Night In 2005.

Ted: Twists and turns

Efa: Thrilling

Bside: Ted, what influenced the story direction?

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve heard so many stories and met so many women who have been through very traumatic experiences. In this country, or outside of this country, where they’ve been sexually assaulted or sexually harassed. The guys that do this to them always seem to get away with it. Because they come from powerful homes, or because they’re just men and they have people around them that can kind of help them out of these situations. They never get punished for these horrible crimes. I wanted to write a story where a girl gets the justice that she deserves by taking the power into her own hands.

Bside: Efa, what was your first reaction when you got the script?

The character I play is so despicable. I didn’t know if I wanted to go there and delve into that character. Then I spoke with Inem, the producer, and Ted called and said, “Efa, you’re doing it”. It’s Ted’s first film directing and that’s a beautiful adventure for her. And I was looking forward to going on that adventure with her. But the idea I had for the character was very different from how we ended up playing the character. Then we had a long conversation after the reading where she helped me to understand where we need to take the character. So when I watched it during the premiere, I came close to tears. Being able to play a character that is heavily involved, is a gift and a curse. The most important thing was, it’s a story that had to be told and had to be told well.

Bside: Ted, how was the selection process for Opeyemi Dada’s character?

Efa: I actually want to know. I’m curious.

Ted: When casting you’re looking for talent. Can this person act? How do they speak? Can they speak well? Also, can he carry himself? Can he carry that role? And I haven’t worked with Efa in a while. We did Oloture but thinking about actors that could play this character, he just made sense. Inem and I would talk and try to decide.  Efa came up as the only person at this point who could play this character. And it just worked out perfectly. 

Efa: Seriously? I don’t believe you but carry on. 

Ted: When you look at Opeyemi Dada, well, when I wrote the character, he’s someone who is tall, charming, and handsome. He speaks very well. You can tell he’s educated. He’s a politician, so he has to be able to carry himself as such. There’s not many, you know, who can act. Not just good-looking, but can also act and has talent.

Efa: Thank you so much. Very kind words.

Bside: Ted, what were your challenges writing the character, Ope? And Efa, what were your challenges portraying Ope? 

Ted: I wanted to show that he’s human at the end of the day, like a regular guy who was also a teenager, because we met him as a 17-year-old guy in high school. So he didn’t just become this evil person. Certain things along the way have made him become who he is;  for example, his parents’ influence. We also talked about how he gets away with everything. For instance, the house party at the beginning of this film. His parents are nowhere to be found. Where is his family? Where are the chaperones of a party? How was he raised? 

That also tells the kind of background that he comes from and how his behaviour has been enabled throughout his life. Thus when he eventually becomes the Opeyemi Dada, the politician, we kind of understand. The guy has gotten away with everything throughout his life, and now he’s married and he’s living this life. And it’s not an honest one, but he’s just doing it for power, for success. I just wanted him to feel real and not just this dark, horrible, wicked person.

Efa: When you read the script, you immediately think of him as evil. Off the bat, you’re like “this guy is horrible.” And then what Ted says to you is that he’s actually a regular guy who did something in the past. But what really drove the story for me was how he reacted to that. People make mistakes, it’s life. But are you sorry for the mistake you made? Are you ready to live up to the consequences? How do you react to that? All of  that helped me channel the character in a certain way. And you see his motivations. You see who motivates him, why he’s motivated. That changed my orientation about the character. The hardest part for me was doing certain scenes. I worked with really fantastic actresses: Ini, Uzo Amaka, Teni and they helped me bring it together.

Bside: What would you say was your fondest memory of each other on set?

Ted: We were tired. That was the end of the shoot. Wrap day. 

Efa: Yes, yes. 

Ted: But we were still cracking jokes in between and trying not to fall asleep, trying to stay awake and shoot the scene. Those were heavy scenes, very emotional scenes for the characters — for me as well — but we had to make sure that we were where we were. It was good fun because of the people that we had around us. It wasn’t just between Efa and I. We were constantly around people. Great people. Talking, laughing, and that’s what helped us get through that production.

Efa: My fondest moment with Ted will probably be the conversation right after the first reading —  in the office — because it brought so much to light. When you read a script a couple of times and you’re just not sure where you’re going to take this character and then have that conversation. A lot of times directors are usually way older than you. So, you’re saying “yes, sir, , yes ma’am.” But when it’s someone that is around your age, you get to share ideas and opinions. That for me was a very fun moment because it just brought everything full circle.

Bside: A Night In 2005 addresses a very distinct issue, especially when it comes to mental health and abuse. What was it like shooting those dark scenes?

Ted: It was very emotional shooting those heavy scenes. Constantly prepping my own mind as a director because it’s so sensitive and you want to get it right; you don’t want to shoot something offensive . People who have actually been through these things may watch it and they may be offended. I didn’t want to do that. So, I tried my best to be very aware of the physicality of some of these scenes. I paid attention to  the vocabulary that was used, the language that was used as well the camera angles because I didn’t  want to shoot something grotesque. There’s actually no nudity in the film and that was on purpose.

Efa: That’s true. 

Ted: It’s a completely different subject matter. Yes, there’s some hot stuff going on but there’s no raunchy nudity, and that was on purpose. But it was very emotional shooting some of those scenes, especially with Laura and Shams. Constantly having to check on the actors, making sure that they were okay, giving them a moment when they need one and even making it a smaller set because sets can be huge, you can have 50, 60 people around.

Efa: I felt it was  perfect that a movie like this — about such a sensitive topic — was directed by a woman. It’s such a sensitive thing and women understand these things way better than men. So seeing it from a woman’s perspective definitely helped. Also,trusting the process.  As an actor, sometimes you’re required to do something that is very uncomfortable and  you wonder how it’s going to come out.  But this was the first time in my career that I sat through a film.

Ted: Really?

Efa: I usually don’t watch myself. I find it extremely awkward. So I’m usually in and out, but I actually sat through this. Apart from the message being so profound and so important, everything ran through, the scenes said what they needed to say without anything unnecessary, so kudos to you.

Ted: Thank you. 

Bside: How does that story and the impact of that story leave the four walls of the cinemas?

Ted: You can only hope that people leave the cinema to go home and have serious conversations about the things that happen in this film. Yes, a huge horrible thing happens to Ife, but also there are so many other sub-themes in the film that are very relatable in our society. I only hope that people go home and are like I know a babe like that, or I have a friend that treated me that way or my friend needs to have a conversation, or I really want us to talk about this thing from 15 years ago because I’m not feeling good about it, I want to just be open and talk to her about it. I hope that people leave the cinema wanting to have discussions and hopefully those discussions lead to change and you can only hope that over time things will change.

Bside: What can the audience expect from you as an actor, Efa? Ted, can we hope to see you in front of the camera?

Efa: Ted should definitely act more. Ted would do very, very well in front of the camera.

Ted: I am not an actor. 

Bside: Efa, what character do you think she could have played? 

Efa: Ted could have played Kelechi.

Ted: No, I’m sorry. Uzo Amaka is a million times better of an actor than I could ever be.

Efa: No, she’s a fantastic actress, but you’d have put a spin on it.

Ted: You guys, I am not an actor. I’m for the words on the page.

Efa: Quote this, within the next decade, Ted will star in a film.

Ted: Never. It wouldn’t be me. I might walk past. What’s that director? He’s an American Hollywood director.

Efa: Do you mean Stanley, the comic book guy from Marvel?

Ted: Stanley? Is it him? He’s not a director, but he’s a writer. I could be the guy in the corner who pours coffee for the guy who’s about to go kill the guy. But I’d never say any lines, because I would fumble the bag. 

Efa: I’m proud of this project. I hope a lot of people come to watch it. When we talk about films and going to the cinema, we like to think about going with our friends. Not to sound too serious, but I feel like parents should see it with their kids. This is a topic that more parents should discuss with their children. Nigerian/African parents are not very open with their kids about emotions and certain topics. I hope that this opens that door. As an actor, I hope to keep putting out good work and hope that I make people out there happy.

Ted: Go see A Night In 2005. It’s out in all cinemas nationwide. You’re going to love it. 

Efa: Guys, please go and see A Night In 2005. It’s in all cinemas nationwide.