Arie and Chuko Esiri’s film Clarissa received a lengthy standing ovation after its screening in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. The movie, a loose adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, premiered on May 16 in Cannes.
The film, shot on 35mm in Nigeria, follows a high-society woman named Clarissa as she prepares to host a party in Lagos. During the event she reconnects with old friends from her youth, prompting reflections on past relationships and unfulfilled dreams. Sophie Okonedo and India Amarteifio star as Clarissa at different ages, supported by David Oyelowo, Toheeb Jimoh and Nikki Amuka-Bird.
