Dear Ajayi
Damilola Orimogunje | Nigeria, Germany | 2026 | English, Igbo & French with English subtitles | 110m
UK Premiere
The Weekender will open with Damilola Orimogunje’s beautiful debut Dear Ajayi, fresh from its World Premiere at Venice Film Festival, the first Nigerian film to ever be selected in Giornate degli Autori and winner of CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Prize – Fellini Medal 2026.
In 1990s Southwestern Nigeria, sisters Ade and Titi Ajayi lead vastly different lives under the shadow of their late father’s home. Ade, a devout Christian and the family’s sole breadwinner, struggles to understand her younger sister Titi, an aspiring singer whose independent spirit challenges convention. When their ailing mother comes to live with them, old resentments resurface, forcing both women to confront grief, faith, ambition and the fragile bonds that hold a family together.
As each sister searches for love, purpose and freedom, their choices begin to reshape not only their own futures, but the lives of everyone around them. Through intimate domestic spaces, music and visual art, Dear Ajayi is a deeply human portrait of family, sacrifice and the enduring hope of finding one’s place in the world.
The feature will be screened alongside short film:
Tell Me When You Get Home
Tshay Meade | US | 2026 | English | 9m
Scottish Premiere
Fifteen year-old Honest Cardamom hasn’t seen her mother since she was four, but at a crowded family party she begins to feel her presence in ways she can’t explain. When Honest senses the presence of her mother she finds the courage to ask her uncle about the woman she barely remembers and, in doing so, begins to uncover pieces of herself.
This screening includes a Welcome from Jali Film Weekender co-directors Tomiwa Folorunso, Isabel Moura Mendes and Carmen Thompson. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dear Ajayi writer, director and producer, Damilola Orimogunje, alongside producer Ajah Enene-Orimogunje and executive producer Adesegun Adetoro.
There will be a drinks reception after the screening. For Opening Film ticket holders only.
Damilola Orimogunje
Damilola Orimogunje is a Nigerian filmmaker drawn to the quiet emotional landscapes of ordinary lives, exploring stories of family, memory, faith, love and hope.
His debut feature, For Maria Ebun Pataki (2020), premiered at Film Africa London, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. As a producer, he also produced All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won the Teddy Award for Best Feature.
His second feature, Dear Ajayi, premieres in competition at the 23rd edition of Giornate degli Autori at the Venice International Film Festival. The film has also been selected as Nigeria’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
Ajah Enene Orimogunje
Ajah Enene Orimogunje is a producer and costume designer whose work explores the intersection of storytelling, culture and visual expression. She served as one of the producers and costume designer on Dear Ajayi, written and directed by Damilola Orimogunje, which premiered in competition at Giornate degli Autori during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The film was subsequently selected as Nigeria’s official entry for the 2027 Academy Awards in the International Feature Film category.
She recently just directed her debut short and is currently in post production to be released next year.
Adesegun Adetoro
Co-Founder Depth & Optics Productions Ltd and Executive Producer Dear Ajayi.