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Actress and filmmaker Ini Edo has appealed to the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and the general public to refrain from taking punitive action against her film, “A Very Dirty Christmas.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the actress became embroiled in controversy after CAN described it as offensive and disrespectful to the Christian faith.
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In a statement signed by its president, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the association stated that the movie showed a lack of respect for Christendom.
Addressing the concerns, NFVCB Director-General Shaibu Husseini acknowledged that the film passed all required legal and regulatory processes before its title received approval.
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However, he asked the 43-year-old actress to modify the title in response to the objections raised.
Appeal
Reacting to the directive and the wider controversy, Edo said in a video posted on her Instagram page on Sunday night that the regulatory body should prioritise constructive engagement over punitive measures in addressing concerns about the film.
She said: “Don’t pull the film. I’ll figure out how to change the title, but I want to apologise to everybody who feels offended by the title of this film. A Very Dirty Christmas wasn’t meant to discredit Christians or Christianity or the religion that we really all love and preserve. But if it is really hurting anyone, I want to say I’m sorry. That was not the intention. It was just a metaphoric way of telling a story and provoking conversations. The purpose was not to ever dishonour God, Christians, or the religion. I know no other religion.
“So this is just me saying I’m sorry. I’m shocked that this is causing so much harm to people. Since it is, don’t pull my film. Give me a fair fighting ground. Let people watch the film and come back and say that this film degrades Christians or Christianity. Then I will pull it. But if you haven’t seen the film and you say that I’m dishonouring God, Christians, this film has no morals. There’s no negativity. If anything, my character is born again till the end. I’m too much of a believer to do that.”
Allow people to watch
Additionally, the actress urged the NFVCB, CAN and other regulatory bodies to visit cinemas, watch the film themselves, and objectively assess whether it portrayed Christians or Christianity in a degrading manner.
She maintained that if their independent reviews concluded that the film was indeed offensive, she would personally withdraw it from all cinemas and accept full responsibility for the consequences.
“It just breaks me. I don’t know what to do. Please don’t pull my film. Just allow people to watch. If you pull it just because of the title, perhaps you should see the movie. If it dishonours Christians in any way, if it dishonours God in any way, I will pull it. I will pull it and bear the consequences. I will not be a part of something like that. I really wish you guys had said something earlier. I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry. I was just making a Christmas film.
“I just wanted a film that everybody would feel good about. I can’t even read any comments. I’m sorry, guys. I’m so sorry. We’ll try to change the title. We have about 70 cinemas nationwide. We’ve done print, media, and digital. I don’t know how we are going to do it. I don’t know how, but… Guys, I’m sorry, please. I’m so sorry”, she added.
Edo said she initially believed she could manage the controversy, but spoke out as the debate continued to grow daily.
She appealed to the NFVCB, CAN, and other regulatory bodies not to take any punitive action, emphasising, “I am just begging to say please, I did take money from investors to do this film.”
Title
Edo further stated that she might have chosen a different title, suggesting there may have been some reservations when the movie’s promotional adverts were ongoing.
She added that they prayed before commencing work and invoked God throughout the process, explaining that their faith forms the foundation of everything they do.
She said, “If we knew that that title, Dirty Christmas, was going to tick off any of said Christians, to a point where it can’t sit you in a statement, to discredit the work that I’ve done the entire year, I would never have gone and written. We’re just creating a title to provoke conversations, because Christmas in my head is just a season. This film is free from dirt. It highlights family conflicts, secrets unfolding.
“It highlights things that people do. They discuss fake food and fake drinks. This movie does that. God, I can’t believe this. I would never sit in a gathering where Christians are ridiculed. Every day, they’re killing Christians. I know how my heart goes. I’m with you. I just don’t think that I’m the one that people are looking at like I’m doing something to dishonour Christians and Christ. I would never do that.”
She added that the title had been carefully considered and finalised only after the completion of the movie shoot.
READ ALSO: NFVCB asks Ini Edo to modify ‘A Very Dirty Christmas’ title
“When we chose A Dirty Dirty Christmas as a film title, we wanted a film from, for the entire, that’s all I’ve done this year, from when we were shooting, if I had any reservation from anywhere, we would not have used the title.
“We used the title because it was a metaphorical way of expressing what happens in a family reunion that was supposed to be clean and nice, but the unveiling of family secrets, the feelings of the society, just talking about things that happen when wealthy people come together. We chose A Dirty Christmas, it wasn’t, it was never to demean Christians, or disrespect Christendom, or dishonour God”, Edo added.
The film, directed by Akay Mason, was released in cinemas nationwide on 16 December.
It centres on a family Christmas reunion that spirals into emotional conflict as long-buried secrets and past traumas resurface, transforming what should have been a joyful festive gathering into a tense and dramatic experience.
The film featured an ensemble cast including Eucharia Anunobi, Femi Branch, IK Ogbonna, Lateef Adedimeji, Nancy Isime, Taye Arimoro, Josephina Otabor, and Wumi Toriola, among others.
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