Meet Eno Enefiok | Storyteller/Filmmaker

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

Hi Eno, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started my company because I had no choice. I needed the backing of a company for a film fund/grant that a project I was hoping to produce was in the running to receive. I didn’t have the time or resources to pitch the project to production companies so I just created my own.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The best way to describe myself as an artist is as a ‘Creative Nomad’.

I was born in Nigeria, but grew up in England from the age of 10. I sound British, most of my education is British and so are a lot of my cultural references, yet in England, I’ve often been viewed as a foriegner.

I feel and identify as Nigerian, yet to Nigerian people, I don’t look Nigeria, I don’t sound Nigerian and even though I was born there, and spent the first 10 years of my life there, I’m not really a Nigeria in their eyes. Coming from one of the lesser know ‘niche’ tribes, Calabar, doesn’t really help either.

As a result, I’ve grown up as an in-betweener, and a lot of my art reflects this. I am fascinated by the concept of ‘identity’, probably because I struggle to find/understand my own identity within the context of the world and society I inhabit.

When you don’t quite fit into any group, finding your way into any industry is going to be difficult. Looking back, it really was, but I think my naivety and youth helped to cushion the many blows!

I was too determined to be the change I wanted to see. I didn’t want to be the only ‘diverse’ voice, I wanted to be one of many!

Throughout my career, I’ve been held back, overlooked, underestimated, purposefully underpaid and the list goes on. But I’m still here, still trying for two reasons:

– Try as I might, I can’t give up on myself.
– I’m only truly happy and at peace when I create. Creating is as intergral to my life, as the air I breathe.

I want to world to know that diversity is more nuanced and fluid than we can ever imagine.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
London is a big city, It’s next to impossible to fully explore and enjoy in one week! I’m an East Londoner so I’d stay on that side of the river and venture North as well which is easily accessible.

We can start with some tourist artivities, walking down Brick Lane, taking in it’s grit, graffiti and copious amounts of hipster coffee shops/bars that have popped up over the past few years!

We can tour the electic streets of East London: Hackney, Dalston, Hoxton, Homerton and then venture North via the canal for some great food in Camden and Islington, North London. These areas are getting very gentrified, meaning they’ve lost a lot of their soul, but it’s not all lost yet!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My career path has been a very long and often isolating process, because of this, the thought of quitting has crossed my mind a lot but I’m still here, still hustling and faking it till I make it because of two organisations:

– The British Urban Film Festival (BUFF)
They gave me my first and only award so far for a scritp I wrote ‘Asylum’ which I’m still hoping to make one day.

– Straight 8 Super 8 Film Competition.
The selected a silly film I made and gave me the confidence to keep being a storyteller.

Website: www.enoenefiok.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enoleawesome/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eno-enefiok-28a26644/