Two best friends, Funke and Fatima, enlist the help of a traditional witch doctor, Madame Bunmi, to achieve their dream bodies before their 18th birthday party, which is just a day away.
FUNKE, FATIMA & MADAME BUNMI is the most recent short film of writer-director Christine Ubochi. An tar&pitch./ production, it is produced by Dalia Saeed from Biscuit Filmworks, in partnership with M&Ms and Short of the Week. FUNKE, FATIMA & MADAME BUNMI has been funded by M&Ms for their Short Film Award.
FUNKE, FATIMA & MADAME BUNMI was initially created as a trailer by Christine Ubochi and received commissioning by M&Ms.
The initial idea began before Christine even knew about the open call for the project. “I had this idea in April 2023, when I was reflecting on how I viewed myself when I was younger,” says Christine. “I remember I was walking to the train station, and I saw a school kid that looked like me when I was younger; that reminded me of myself. She was next to her friend, who looked like the total opposite. So I just thought, ‘Imagine if they miraculously switched bodies?’ and then what their life would be like, and how they would be able to see themselves from the other person’s perspective.”
Christine kept the idea in her notes app, and revisited it once she saw the M&Ms Short Film competition. The theme of the competition was ‘belonging.’ “When I think about belonging, I’ve always reflected on how there can be a difficulty in feeling like you belong in the body that you were born with. So I think the reason why I wanted to do the body swap is for them to be able to see from a different person’s perspective, like, ‘You’re okay, there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s okay to feel at home with where you are.’” says Christine.
Christine’s trailer was up for public vote alongside the two other shortlisted filmmakers. Funke, Fatima & Madame Bunmi received over 9,000 from the public, resulting in a landslide win.
“We were told that we would find out on a Friday, and I didn’t think I’d win. I was like, ‘Let’s just rip the band-aid off – tell me that I’ve lost.’ So I emailed them. And then I got an email back from the agency: ‘We’ve got some good news. Are you around for a call?’ I was very shocked. I did not think I would win! It was very chill – just a very normal day until that happened.”
Christine’s next step was building a production team, and she called upon the same team from the trailer, including producer Dalia Saeed, to support the project from the ground up. “To go from words on a page, to a whole production set, to a complete 20 minute piece is super satisfying and makes you hungry to create some more,” says Dalia. “Also doing it with such a lovely crew and cast.”
Dalia’s passion and belief in the film led her to contribute to the production in many ways.
Through Dalia’s experience in the industry, she provided a copious amount of knowledge about production, supporting the team more than they imagined. Dalia’s sheer desire to not only see the film come to fruition, but for it to be the best as possible, is reflected in the outcome.
Credits:
CHRISTINE UBOCHI – WRITER/DIRECTOR
Following her collaboration with the BBC on her short film ‘The Skin I Move In‘, and her engaging BBC 4 radio drama ‘En Justice‘, Christine took on the role of Shadow Director on Alice Seabright’s BBC1 series, ‘CHLOE‘. Her recent endeavours include her commissioned short film, ‘The Solo Eclipse‘, in partnership with tar&pitch./ productions and Unit9 Films. She has also gained valuable insights by shadowing the Writers Room at See-Saw Films and Apple TV’s ‘Slow Horses‘. Currently, Christine was crowned as the winner for M&M’s Short Film Festival Competition, and is a recipient of a BAFTA Bursary.
In addition to her contributions to film and television, Christine’s play ‘Galentine’s Day‘ received recognition as part of Theatre Deli’s Shift + Space programme, drawing audiences to sold-out performances across both nights.
DALIA SAEED – PRODUCER
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE – @dalia_s17
KASHIF BOOTHE – ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE – @kashifboothe
MICHELLE ASANTE – MADAME BUNMI
NADIA AMANI – FATIMA
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE – @nadiaxamani
OLAMATU JABBIE – FUNKE
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE – @olayy_
ADE FEMZO – Djibril Johnson
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE @adefemzo
Source: Ameyawdebrah
Have a press release, feature, article for publication? Send it to us via Whatsapp on +233543452542.
