FORGIVE THY FATHERS
Country
Nigeria
Runtime
10 minutes
Format
Historical Drama
Director
Aniee Essien & E.T. Ekere
Writer
Aniee Essien & E.T. Ekere
Producer
Aniee Essien
THE FILM
A weary young man in the present is confronted by the story of a 19th-century sailor whose experiences of slavery, survival and forgiveness force him to reckon with wounds passed down through generations.
Forgive Thy Fathers moves between two timelines. In 1823, William Freeman Waters, a contemplative sailor, writes a heartfelt letter to his long-lost son, reflecting on his journey through slavery, liberation and the complexities of human nature.
Centuries later, his words reach Abass, a scarred and weary young man sitting in a theatre audience and grappling with inherited wounds of his own.
As William's reflections begin to haunt him, Abass is pushed into a storm of memories and emotions, culminating in a reckoning that brings the past sharply into the present.
Through poetic dialogue and a story told across film, stage and radio, Forgive Thy Fathers explores generational trauma, identity, history and the enduring possibility of forgiveness.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Forgive Thy Fathers began with a question:
What if we told a story about a deeply sensitive subject, but also explored the ways Africans have been part of the forces that have harmed one another?
From that question came a story about history, responsibility and the possibility of change.
The writing process was filled with back and forth between the filmmakers as they explored how to tell the story and whether they could bring its ideas to life in a way that audiences would understand and connect with.
They also wanted to tell the story differently — bringing together three mediums: film, stage and radio.
The result is a film that asks its audience not simply to watch, but to sit with its questions.
A FILM THAT STARTS A CONVERSATION
The filmmakers describe Forgive Thy Fathers as a subtle call for unity, love and change — and a reminder of the histories we cannot afford to forget.
Their hope is that audiences don't simply watch the film and move on, but think deeply, start conversations and even debate its ideas.
At its heart is a question about what happens when the wounds of history continue to shape the present — and what it might take to choose a different future.
FROM THE FILMMAKERS
“We do not just want people to watch this film and forget about it, but to think deep, start a conversation and even a debate on it.”
Forgive Thy Fathers is a story about inherited pain, but also about the possibility of reconciliation, unity and change
THE TEAM
Aniee Essien & E.T. Ekere
Director & Writer
Aniee Essien
Producer.
A QUESTION TO LEAVE WITH
What do we inherit from the past — and what do we choose to do with it?
SEE IT AT MMM VOL. 5
Forgive Thy Fathers screens as part of Mini Movie Marathon Vol. 5.
14 November 2026 · Nairobi
Come watch. Sit with it. Talk about it.
GET YOUR TICKET →
