‘Brain Drain’ Selected to Close New York African Film Festival 

Vanessa Obioha 

The New York African Film Festival has announced the documentary ‘Brain Drain’ as the official closing film for its 2024 edition.

‘Brain Drain’ is produced by Mr Collins Akpapunam, the Head Honcho at Efizzi Communications, a Lagos/US-based multidimensional digital content-creating company with an emphasis on social issue documentaries and short films.

In the documentary, Akpapunam examined the effects of migration on the host country and the country of origin. The high rate of migration has been a concern for Nigeria in the past few years given the high cost of living and other economic hardships. The documentary plumbed the effects of migration from the lenses of Nigerian Americans who are excelling in their chosen fields.

‘Brain Drain’ premiered at the UN auditorium in Abuja, in August 2023 and did a pit-stop screening at the American Film Institute and Cultural Center downtown Silver Spring MD, USA, both to critical acclaim. With the support of APSS and the International Organisation for Migration, the documentary was screened in Lagos at EbonyLife Place, Victoria Island.

“The selection of ‘Brain Drain’ by the board of the African Film Festival New York, as the closing documentary feature film at the 31st anniversary of the three-week-long festival is a huge recognition of my work,” said Akpapunam.  “It is one of the 30 documentaries from Africa’s 54 countries that has put the documentary format on a world stage.”

Founded in 1993, the New York African Film Festival has been at the forefront of celebrating the unique storytelling of filmmakers in Africa and the African diaspora. The theme of the 31st edition, ‘Convergence of Time’, delves into the historical and contemporary roles of individuals in the representation of art in Africa and its diaspora. It is scheduled from May 8 to June 1, 2024.