The National Film and Video Censors Board has cleared the air on a report making the rounds, claiming the board has set up three panels to analyse and classify a transgender film titled, ‘Bobrisky in Love’.
The Executive Director of NFVCB, Adebayo Thomas, said this in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday.
He said, “I am not aware of any film titled Bobrisky currently being analysed and classified by the board. Such a film can’t even make it (from) our office because it is against the Nigerian laws.
“And if the film eventually is being sold in the open markets it would be considered illegal because we have not classified or approved it. The issue has nothing to do with the individual, Bobrisky, but the contents of the film, and the Nigerian law does not permit the promotion of homosexual acts of any kinds even in the media.”
Mr Thomas, noted that Nigeria has laws that prohibit homosexuality and therefore work of arts that promote it cannot be endorsed by the government.
Popular Nigerian cross dresser, Idris Okunneye popularly called Bobrisky, plays the lead role in the film.
In the movie, Bobrisky (Cherry B) portrays a transgender woman who travels out of the country as a man and returns to the village as a woman to the chagrin of his fiancée and relatives.
In the soundtrack of the movie, members of the public are encouraged to accept Cherry B as a transgender.
The cross-dresser starred alongside established actresses, Queen Nwokoye and Anita Joseph in the movie directed by Ken Steve Anuka and produced by Basil Nneji.
The NFVCB is the regulatory body set up by Act No.85 of 1993 to regulate films and video industry in Nigeria.
The board is empowered by law to classify all films and videos whether imported or produced locally.
It is also the duty of the board to register all films and video outlets across the country and to keep a register of such registered outlets among other functions.
The movie, which was released a few weeks ago already has over 500,000 views on YouTube and has garnered thousands of comments.
Popular comic actor, Charles Awurum, had earlier lampooned Nollywood producers for casting the popular cross-dresser in movies.
This is not the first time the controversial character would be featured in a Nigerian movie.
He portrayed a cross-dresser in a 2015 Yoruba movie titled ‘Ojuloge Obirin’.
The movie was produced by Tayo Sobola.
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