Iku Aka

In a film created by an all-Black-women team—writing, directing, shooting, and producing—featuring three Nigerian-American contributors, Chinelo stands on the verge of what should be among the happiest days of her life: her wedding. Her fiancé must fulfill Iku Aka, the first stage of Igbo marriage rites, by asking Chinelo’s mother for her hand. To honor tradition, Chinelo’s mother designates her uncle Festus to speak for the family as the eldest and most successful man—but Festus is also the man who sexually assaulted Chinelo when she was young. The confrontation plunges her into a torrent of memories, compelling her to confront the deficiencies of tradition.