Ijeoma Grace Agu Opens Up on Losing a Baby While Filming “10 Songs For Charity” at Netherlands Film Festival Premiere

Nollywood actress Ijeoma Grace Agu was live at the Netherlands Film Festival on Tuesday, September 28th for the premiere of a new film she stars in titled “10 Songs For Charity“.

The actress gave a speech about the production journey and the importance of telling the story. While giving her speech, she also got candid about a baby during the production of the film years back. In her words:

This has been a seven year journey for you Karin, and five years for me. My daughter was a year old when I auditioned and it’s funny, I was three months pregnant filming this, I don’t know if you (Karin) knew. I didn’t know. I lost the baby four days after but it’s okay.

This was a labour of love, this was my first European film. You can imagine how exited I was coming here with my family… filming this in the cold winter, with next to nothing on. But we did it.

Speaking to the director, she added: “I know how many times they asked you to audition for another actor in the UK, whatever, and you insisted it was going to be me. So through our fights on set, I never forgot that. I’m proud of you”.

“We hope people get to see this film that did need to be made. It doesn’t matter who made it. The important thing is there are Charity’s in this world. You know them, I know them, we’ve seen them. This is their story. We know these women and it doesn’t matter who tells their story. It matters who thinks it’s important enough to tell the story,” Ijeoma concluded her speech.

Watch the video below:

“10 Songs For Charity” is a film directed by Karin Junger who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Brigit Hillenius. It stars Ijeoma Grace Agu, Omoteniola Famodimu, Morganna Love Aleizah, Shirma Rouse and La Baby Jacqueline Morales.

“I wanted to make a realistic movie about the many African women who come to Europe in search of a better life but end up working as prostitutes. Yet I also wanted to capture their energy, their musicality and resilience. So I decided to make a raw modern musical where their story would be enriched by contemporary dance, song and music. Music, which belongs to them and encompasses their history: afrobeat, soul, R&B, gospel, bachata. I want the film to be like a punch in the face, but with hope,” says the director Karin Junger.

According to an article on Giffoni Film Festival‘s website, the Annemiek van Gorp and René Goossens produced film tells the story of:

Charity and her sister, Happy, who are 25 and 16 years old respectively and live in the slums of Lagos. Both girls dream of a better future, more specifically, owning their own car dealership.

Disenchanted with the dreary life of the slums, the pair take the bold step of moving to Europe, in search of fortune and that better life than the one they’ve always known.

Naturally, being in a new and strange land is a struggle, and comes with a unique set of challenges and adversity. But Charity and Happy have strength and determination, and along the way they will meet other women ready to help them.

Watch the teaser for “10 Songs For Charity” below: