When a Farm Goes Aflame + Director Q&A 2021

A young Nigerian leaves his village at the end of the 1960s and goes to Denmark to study. There he meets his future wife. Together they move to Nigeria and start a family. But 16 years later, circumstances in a politically tense and unstable Nigeria force the family to go back. It may be better for the children to grow up and go to school in Denmark but the husband has reservations. He cannot imagine moving there permanently. Shortly before the family is about to leave Nigeria, he decides to stay. He starts a second family in Nigeria but hides this from his Danish wife for fear of hurting her. His secret is only uncovered after thirty years of their long-distance marriage.

This documentary follows the individuals involved, who reflect in diverging ways on the part they played in the past and who would like to shape their lives differently in the future. During the course of filming, yet another truth comes to light. The protagonists in Denmark, Nigeria, Canada, Germany and the USA provide an atmospheric portrait of different generations and cultures in which diverse ideas of love, relationships and identity collide.

About the Director

Jide Tom Akinleminu is a Danish / Nigerian documentary film director and cinematographer. He was born and raised in Nigeria and moved to Denmark at the age of 10. After attending the Danish School of Photography "FATAMORGANA", he relocated to Berlin in 2004, to study cinematography at the German Film School (DFFB). As a cinematographer, he shot several award-winning films, such as the short film Kokon, which was acclaimed for its unique visual style and was awarded Germanýs most prestigious film award, the Golden Lola, in 2010. His diploma film, Portrait of a Lone Farmer, premiered at CPH:DOX in 2013. It won recognition at numerous festivals and received the "African Movie Academy Award" in 2014 as well as the German 3Sat Award for "Best Documentary”. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents 2015 and 2018.