Her daughters' mother, a film serving as Chinazaekpere Chukwu's debut feature, follows a woman whose family's survival rests on whether she can bear a son, and it is already on course for Lagos audiences in November.
The drama has earned a nomination in the Best Debut Feature Film by a Director category at the 22nd Africa Movie Academy Awards, and it also features on the programme of the Africa International Film Festival.
A London premiere at EbonyLife Place
The 109-minute drama screened at 7 pm on 28 October at the newly launched EbonyLife Place London. QED.NG reported that the festival runs from 23 October to 1 November.
Film Africa is presented by the Royal African Society and showcases African and diaspora cinema, Megastar Magazine noted. This year's programme foregrounds female filmmakers and women-centred stories, including a symposium with BFI Southbank, as Afrocritik reported.
The selection was announced on Instagram by Women in the Arts, which celebrated Chukwu's first feature as a director.
What the story is about
Ejiro, the film's lead, is a thirty-something who married young and has since been widowed. Having never had a son, she is forced out of the house she once shared with her late husband. She takes her two daughters back to Warri, to the house of her father, who is set on seeing her marry again.
According to Afrocritik, it is set between Benin in Edo State and Warri in Delta State, in a period that appears to be before 2007. Ejiro wants her daughters to be educated, and she strikes an arrangement with her new husband, Osato, to secure that.
Chukwu has described the themes in her own words. BellaNaija quoted her saying: “It reaches deep into the rights of women, how their lives are decided for them until the end, first by their families/spouses and finally by their kids.”
How critics have received her daughters' mother film
According to Chukwu, the aim is for the film to read as a cross between Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s Stay With Me. Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku, reviewing for Afrocritik, felt that aspiration came through in the completed film, and she singled out how it moves, how it is cut, and how it looks for praise.
Her verdict was 4 out of 5, describing the film as a touching, poignant story about defiance and resilience. She did sound one note of warning, however, saying that “Her Daughters’ Mother occasionally lingers just a bit longer than it needs to.”
The review singles out the following performances:
- Ejovwoke Obas Olikuntuyi as Ejiro
- Osas Okonyon as the elder daughter, Ejiata
- Philip Asaya as Osato
- Chris Biyibi as Ejiro's father
The team behind the film
The film was produced by One Child Grace Studio in association with C.A.N.O Productions, Uncut Gem Productions and Nka Pictures, per QED.NG. What Kept Me Up listed Yinka Adegoke as cinematographer, Efosa Ogbomo as executive producer and co-producer, and Joshua Tsotso as story consultant, creative producer and editor.
Directing is familiar ground for Chukwu. According to Megastar Magazine, she was behind the 2025 television series The Yard, which ran to 18 episodes, and she also made the short film Ti e Nbo, which had its premiere at AFRIFF in 2023.
What happens next for the film
The next stop is Lagos. The film is in the official selection of the 15th AFRIFF, which runs from 1 to 7 November 2026, and ShockNG reported that the festival presents 23 feature films among its 135 selections.
The AMAA nominations were announced on 17 October 2026, as Nollycritic reported. The awards ceremony takes place on 15 November 2026 at the Lagos Marriott Hotel, according to BellaNaija.
Chukwu faces seven other debut directors in her category. allAfrica noted that they include Nigerian nominees Nwamaka Chikezie for To Adaego With Love and Daniel Etim-Effiong for The Herd.
For readers at home, the festival dates give the first chance to see how a story shaped by Nigerian literature plays on a Lagos screen. The awards night on 15 November will show whether the industry rewards her daughter's mother's film.
