*Neon has acquired worldwide rights to “Clarissa,” a contemporary reinterpretation of Virginia Woolf’s novel “Mrs. Dalloway” set in present-day Nigeria. The film features a high-profile cast led by Sophie Okonedo and David Oyelowo
Directed by twin filmmakers Arie and Chuko Esiri, the project was shot entirely on 35mm film in Nigeria. Neon will oversee the film’s U.S. release, while Neon International will handle international sales across foreign markets, Deadline reports.
The Esiri brothers made their feature debut with “Eyimofe (This Is My Desire).” That film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won five African Movie Academy Awards. Janus Films released the project which is now part of the Criterion Collection.
“Clarissa” centers on a society woman named Clarissa, portrayed by Okonedo, as she prepares to host an elegant gathering at her home in Lagos. The event becomes more than a social occasion when she unexpectedly reconnects with friends from her earlier life, forcing long-buried emotions to surface.
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As the evening unfolds over the course of a single night, the characters revisit memories of intertwined relationships and formative experiences. Reflections on love, desire, ambition, and regret gradually emerge, leading to a quiet but emotionally charged reckoning shaped by both nostalgia and loss. The cast also includes , India Amarteifio, Ayo Edebiri, Toheeb Jimoh, and Nikki Amuka-Bird.
Chuko wrote the screenplay and also produced the film alongside Arie. Additional producers include Theresa Park for Per Capita Productions and Nicholas Weinstock for Invention Studios, with Nina Gold and Thomas Bassett serving as co-producers.
The executive producing team includes Okonedo, Dolly Omodolapo Kola-Balogun, Osahon Okunbo, and Jason Reif. “Clarissa” was funded by Afreximbank Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) and MBO Capital.
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