Cheyi Okoaye has won the El Gouna Emerge Award at the 2026 Durban FilmMart (DFM), the 17th edition, for his sci-fi comedy Cause, Effect & Maybe Consequence?.
The award provides Okoaye with shared logistical support, accommodation and official festival accreditation to attend the El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt.
Created, written and directed by Okoaye, who also stars in the project, Cause, Effect & Maybe Consequence? follows Cheyi, a man who finds himself trapped in a room with two other versions of himself: his idealistic past self and his success-driven future self.
Speaking exclusively with The Nollywood Reporter, Okoaye discusses the inspiration behind the project, its evolution and what the award means to him and Nigerian cinema.
The independent project began as a standalone short film before evolving into a five-episode short-form web series and eventually developing into a full fiction series.
Okoaye said the idea emerged from his attempts to understand the contradictions inherent in self-reflection.
He said:
“The major inspiration behind the plot was me coming to terms with the paradoxical nature of self-reflection. The idea of pitting two iterations of the same person in a room got so interesting to me, the story thread became infinite the moment I added the sci-fi element.”
He wrote the script in 2024 but repeatedly postponed filming.
He said:
“I knew the characters so well, but I kept coming up with a reason not to shoot it.”
On February 14, 2025, he began filming using a shot list he had already prepared. After completing seven scenes, he decided to continue. By the time he had shot 27 scenes, he had a short film.
Initially, he intended to develop the project as a series of short shorts. However, after screening the film privately for friends, he was encouraged by the result and began considering a larger production.
Character studies, Okoaye said, remain central to his filmmaking practice.
He said:
“Being a filmmaker comes with a certain level of vulnerability you have to embrace if you want to be better. Everything I make fits within the frame of a ‘character study.’ I love those.”
The 2026 Durban FilmMart win has also allowed him to draw attention to the work of Nigerian filmmakers.
He said:
“This win here adds eyes to what filmmakers are doing here, and we need that. People are doing amazing things in cinema here in Nigeria, and I hope this makes people pay a lot more attention to what we make.”
Okoaye plans to release the short film before the end of 2026, having held it back for an extended period.
He said:
“I’ve held on to it for so long. And it’s time people see what the fuss is about.”
In the meantime, he is concentrating on developing the series, which he described as being in advanced development. Several people have expressed interest in the project, with further conversations expected as development continues.
His next step is to assemble a team, with a particular emphasis on bringing writers into the process.
He said:
“A project like this is huge, and those take time. I have a lot of that; Cause, Effect & Maybe Consequence? will be made.”
