Award-winning actress, director and CEO of The Make It Happen Productions, Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, is set to unveil the new short film titled ‘FINE’ in partnership with Joy, Inc. (joyinc.xyz), a human flourishing company and Y!TV on Wednesday, 9 October, 2019 at the residence of the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria.

 

The film, which recently premiered at the Nollywood Week Paris Film Festival, focuses on mental wellness, depression, anxiety and other issues about mental health, aligning with the strategic goals of Joy, Inc.’s new initiative known as Mad Against Depression and Anxiety (MADA) – a network of professionals and influential personalities who intend to combine their resources and experience to fight depression in Nigeria.

 

 

 

Speaking about the film, Lala Akindoju said, “Mental illness can be physically and emotionally draining, and many people do not understand that the conditions are now common and widespread. With the film, we want to show that there are people among us who might appear put together, but they are battered by depression and anxiety daily.”

 

 

 

“We tried as much as possible to enlighten people to get help and reach out to friends and family when facing challenges. We are also really excited that Joy, Inc. came onboard with the MADA network, which will help push this message across the world,” she added.

 

 

 

Chude Jideonwo, the founder of Joy, Inc., emphasized the importance in educating Nigerians about mental wellness and to support by them by providing proper human and material resources.

 

 

 

“All we want to do with the MADA network is to lead conversations on mental health, and direct people to safe places and facilities where they can seek help. Depression and anxiety can make one miserable and cause problems in daily life, and we want people to be aware that there are effective ways of preventing and dealing with these conditions,” he said.

 

 

 

‘FINE’ is co-written and directed by Odenike and stars Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, Odenike Odetola, Tiere Osundilire and Jennifer Alegieuno.

 

 

 

Mad Against Depression and Anxiety (MADA) will be officially announced on Thursday, 10 October, 2019. According to the National Depression Report released by Joy, Inc. in partnership with NOIPolls in 2018, one out of every three Nigerian is at risk of depression, while the country has the seventh-highest rate of suicide in Africa.