On Saturday 29th December, I had the privilege of attending the screening of Rhoda Wilson’s second independently produced Christmas film, “The Christmas Gift,” in London. It was a night of joy and celebration as the audience came together to see the second screening of the film that originally premiered on 24 November 2018.

Based on a true story, “The Christmas Gift,” tells the story of Mother Teresa and her daughter Alice. Longing for siblings, Alice wishes for a brother or sister this Christmas. The recently widowed Mother Teresa soon opens up her home and family and decides to foster children. Alice soon begins to regret her wish as she notices that having siblings and sharing your home with others isn’t as easy as she anticipated. With each new child, there is a different issue that this growing family has to navigate.

This is a film about: love, family, home and hope. Through the protagonist’s actions, we are reminded that the greatest gift that we can give is love.

Despite being an emotional story about the many issues that these children and this family face, Rhoda Wilson still finds many opportunities to make the audience laugh. Sticking to the true Nollywood fashion, this film is not short of drama or comedy. My favourite side character was the gossiping aunty because what is family without one?

The screening was followed by a Q&A with the producer and the cast. This gave the audience an opportunity to find out more about the film and its production process. Wilson explained that this film was birthed out of her passion for Nollywood and desire to see it grow in the UK beyond its initial release. Wilson runs acting workshops for children and has often been asked by these children about the evident gap of children acting in Nollywood. She is therefore using this film and subsequent projects to “bring the kids in to the Nollywood industry and to encourage them to fall in love with the movies.”

After meeting the cast and producer, it became apparent to me that this is about more than just a film. It is about retelling true stories, reviving Nollywood in the UK and reaching out to the youth to provide them with opportunities to find their voice and leave a mark in the making of history.