Kano hosts 3rd premiere of Covid-19 inspired docu-feature film, ‘Unmasked…’ Thurs June 10

WITH Lagos and Ibadan having been conquered, the train of the Covid-19 inspired documentary feature, UNMASKED: Leadership, Trust and the Covid-19 Pandemic’ heads to Kano this week. 

The event is scheduled to take place Thursday, June 10 at the Theater & Performing Arts Theater, Faculty of Communication Complex, Bayero University Kano New Campus from 10.30 am. 

It will feature the premiere of the 105 minutes revealing film, followed by a panel conversation on the theme: ‘Rebuilding Primary Healthcare’.

As it happened in the other two locations, the Kano event will have as keynote speaker the Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele. The proposed Special Guest of Honour is His Royal Highness, Dr Ibrahim Abubakar ll, Emir of Karaye.

To be moderated by the ace journalist and now media entrepreneur,  Kadaria Ahmed, who is also the co-producer and presenter of the film, the proposed discussants in the  panel conversation are: 

* Prof. Isa Sadiq Abubakar – Director,  CIDR Kano 

* Dr Tijani Hussein – Executive Director, Primary Health Management Board

* Dr Aisha Faruk – Reproductive Health Coordinator, Kano 

Directed and produced by the renowned storyteller and content creator, Femi Odugbemi, “Unmasked…’’ was collaboratively produced by Daria Media and Zuri 24 Media with the support of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and the Macarthur Foundation. 

In the synopsis to the film, Odugbemi stated: “The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world on its head and hit the world’s most populous black nation Nigeria with predictable ferocity. And with its soft underbelly of corruption, poor healthcare infrastructure, weak systems and an ever-increasing number of its population below the poverty line, the portent is dire. Could this also be an opportunity for reset?”

And on the grand vision behind the film, Ahmed stated: “It is the hope of the documentary that beyond documenting the Nigerian story of covid, Unmasked acts as a catalyst for a conversation on  shortcomings in our public health sector that were unmasked by covid.”

According to Bimbola Amao, Programs Officer at the Daria Media Ltd,  “We want ‘Unmasked’ to become a catalyst for conversations around public health in Nigeria based on the issues raised on the documentary and the shortcomings unmasked by Covid-19. It is our hope that we can motivate collaborative work that can help us begin to build a more functional public health care system.”