Meet Victor Josiah | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Victor Josiah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Victor, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
I dare to dream of a future where I can comfortably adapt my insane ideas, a future where i can share the stage with big names, a future where my story (as a nobody from a village somewhere in the world becoming a worldwide critically acclaimed filmmaker) can inspire anybody, a future where i make films that doesn’t need to speak a familiar language for people to follow and enjoy, a future where i have the whole world as my audience and a farther future where my art is regarded timeless and full of essence.

The goal is to be one of the GOATs (Greatest of all time).

PS: and for Christ to be glorified through me. 😀

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Since i was able to think for myself i have always loved stories, and i was constantly surrounded with them, the ones i heard from the elders or from my fellow mates, the ones written on books and even the ones told over radios, my love for stories was noticeable even to my teachers at school. One day, Mr Wales my form master in grade 6 after he came across a story i wrote on a paper and misplaced called me aside after school and encouraged me to start writing my own ideas in a book, I remember pondering on what to write on the first page of this new book my mother bought for me as soon as i told her I wanted to write, we didn’t have much but she was always ready to pour all her resources into my passions, as the hail and rain fell that afternoon i kept staring outside my mom’s pharmacy thinking of an idea, it had always been easy to think of one but this time it was hard, i wanted it to be good, i wanted it to impress my teacher, it had to be new i told myself as i stared through the wooden railings to the deserted flooded streets, and then it hit me my first brainstorming session yielded an idea about a cunning tortoise in the animal kingdom (cliche) and so my passion grew like a fire, fast forward to a later time, my brother had just returned from boarding school to spend the holiday at home and he came back different, this boy used to be a terrible artist but his drawings were better now, much more beautiful, i was jealous but behind that felling i thought was jealousy was an inspiration to be better and to surpass him, Godwin was so cool i deemed him my competition, he was the one standard i used to judge life in my early days, if i can be like Godwin, if only i can be like Godwin, i’ll be cool, he could flip, he was a great soccer player, he had a-lot of females friends, he was charismatic, he was always handed every available leadership role, he was smart, and he was my big brother. I wasn’t any of those things, i was proud of him and i wanted to be just like him, i learnt how to draw from copying Godwin’s illustrations and cartoon characters, soon enough he was telling me about something he learnt in school called comics, he drew these figures and put these speech bubbles over their heads and drew their next action until the final end, my little mind exploded to pieces after seeing how this his drawn story turned out, i wanted to learn and i did, after months of repetition i began creating my own. Fast forward to my Secondary school days i was one of the coolest Senior students in the School i was lending out my locally made comics which by the way were very graphical and interesting now, all still hand drawn tho, i researched on comic strips and newly published issues I used as references, the books i lend out oftentimes return without a cover, with terrible smudges or worst of all with some missing pages. One of my most excited moments in this time was when two others junior students started creating their own comic issues and coming to honor me with a first read or to ask for some counsel, felt like the Godfather.

Fast forward to my life before graduation. In summary I hated Nollywood films and it was all my parents loved to watch alongside church services where healings and deliverances are performed with theatricals and bad acting, i think it was something i was able to see through (bad acting) thesame types you would see in the Nollywood movies that would make you cringe, the type to over exaggerate actions and to forget/mix their lines was what i saw daily adapted in these religious ministries, it disgusted me, so much so that religion itself started to look fake (but i have a better understanding of the gospel now and it is beautiful). Not too long after, i and my brother met our cousins, we realized we all hated Nollywood films, we started as little boys making skits and satires criticizing the Nollywood industry and its movies(The Critics) to becoming the first Nigerians nominated for The Webby Award an award for excellence on the Internet, sadly we didn’t win, but yeah, we were a filmmaking collective from Kaduna Nigeria making original films now with our own ideas and stories and i was an active part of this collective from her starting days. Fast forward to current day Nigeria, I’m in the university studying a course far from my passion (Microbiology) and i’m trying to continually create films, i have created alot of films with the collective, i have made some friends in the filmmaking space which i have also collaborated with to create some films with and i am still in the art.

I am a filmmaker(Director), at least that’s what i tell people, though I haven’t made a personal indie film longer than 3 minutes yet.
I sometimes direct music videos, i have in the past worked on some commercials, but my interest lies majorly in filmmaking, because it is the most significant channel of storytelling, you can do it through radio or through books, but through the screen is just something you can’t put to words, it’s incomparable, something that is clear (to see), visuals is a language that is and will forever be universal, so i am a visual artist and the screen is my canvas.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a very boring person, my friends know this about me i can spend a whole day at home glued to my bed watching anime, but not when I’m working, i go super saiyan when it’s work time so its usually the other way around, my friends come with the plans on how we can spend time together, and the only thing i get to add to their itinerary would be to watch films and I’m pretty Godlike with my film recommendations.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Big shoutout to my Brother, he has no idea how much he inspired my creative journey, my Mom for always being that supportive role model for as long as she was alive, i could never have asked for another mother even if presented with options, my cousins, one, two, three of them, we all learnt the art together and we are still learning together, its an honor and most especially my support system, every one that has shown a speck of interest in my art, from my primary school teacher who inspired me to keep on writing my storybooks to my junior high colleagues who constantly disturbed me to create new comic books up to my friends in the filmmaking space who are always impressed with my craft even that which i consider barest minimum, i am highly grateful i have been surrounded by these souls, it only inspires and uplifts one, i can never be ungrateful.

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