From Language Loss to Cultural Preservation: Donald Iheonunekwu’s OSU Wins Best Indigenous Film at BINFF

When a language begins to disappear, the loss is bigger than words. It can mean the fading of stories, traditions, memories and a people’s way of seeing the world.

For Nigerian filmmaker Dr Donald Oluchukwu Iheonunekwu, that warning became a call to action.

In 2015, reports that the Igbo language was declining and could struggle to survive the century prompted him to take an unusual response: rather than simply lament the trend, he picked up a camera.

More than a decade later, that decision has earned international recognition, with his film OSU winning Best Indigenous Film at the Brampton International Nollywood Film Festival (BINFF), held within the wider Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF) ecosystem.

For Iheonunekwu, however, the award represents far more than a personal achievement.

“This award is dedicated to the Igbo language. We have to do more for our culture.”

Turning a warning into a mission

Iheonunekwu has built much of his filmmaking around the belief that indigenous languages survive when people continue to use them in everyday life and, importantly, when their stories are told through them.

Rather than blame what he described as the status quo, he chose filmmaking as his contribution to keeping Igbo visible and relevant.

His work has included films made substantially in Igbo, as well as documentaries exploring the history and civilisation of the Igbo people.

His documentary Journey to Igbo Civilization won Best Documentary at the Abuja International Film Festival in 2022 and later received the same recognition at VILLAFEST in 2023.

From Kigali stereotypes to a wider African conversation

Another chapter in Iheonunekwu’s filmmaking journey began during his first visit to Kigali, Rwanda, where he encountered stereotypes about young Igbo men.

Rather than dismiss the experience, he turned it into a film.

A Trip to Kigali, shot across Lagos and Kigali, explores identity, perception and the way Africans view one another across national and cultural boundaries.

Iheonunekwu took on several roles in the production, serving as actor, co-director and producer.

The film went on to win Best Narrative Feature at the 2026 TAFF International Film Festival in Dallas, while also earning a Best Actress award.

For the filmmaker, the experience reinforced his belief that cinema can go beyond entertainment.

“A film can do more than entertain; it can challenge stereotypes, preserve culture and reshape global perceptions.”

OSU: confronting a painful chapter of Igbo history

His latest recognition comes for OSU, a film centred on one of the most difficult subjects in Igbo social history — the Osu caste system.

For generations, people classified as Osu and their descendants faced discrimination and social exclusion because of an inherited status rooted in traditional religious practices.

Instead of focusing solely on the more celebratory aspects of Igbo culture, Iheonunekwu chose to examine a painful chapter that continues to provoke debate.

He said the film was conceived as an excerpt from a larger project he plans to complete.

“I wanted to turn the lens toward the plight of this group of people and tell a story that deserves to be seen.”

That decision gives OSU significance beyond its festival success. It places marginalised voices at the centre of a conversation about culture, identity and social justice.

The camera as a tool for preservation

Across Journey to Igbo Civilization, A Trip to Kigali and OSU, a clear pattern emerges in Iheonunekwu’s work: culture is not something to preserve only by looking backwards.

For him, filmmaking offers a way to document history, question stereotypes, keep indigenous languages in use and confront uncomfortable parts of the past.

The Best Indigenous Film award at BINFF therefore marks another stage in a much longer journey — one that began with concern about the future of the Igbo language and developed into a sustained commitment to telling African stories from an indigenous perspective.

As Iheonunekwu puts it:

“The award is not the destination. It is another reason to keep telling the stories.”

About Donald Iheonunekwu

Dr Donald Oluchukwu Iheonunekwu is a Nigerian filmmaker, actor, producer and director whose work focuses on African history, culture, identity and social issues.

His films, including Journey to Igbo Civilization, A Trip to Kigali and OSU, have received recognition at the Abuja International Film Festival, VILLAFEST, TAFF International Film Festival and the Brampton International Nollywood Film Festival.

Through indigenous-language filmmaking, he continues to champion cinema as a tool for cultural preservation, social reflection and African storytelling.