"My Dream" out in Nigeria

Such would require many exterior shots and crowd scenes, and therefore producers tend to shy away from it.
However, a new film, My Dream , by Maranatha Pictures, is out to show that there are directors who can handle a sport-oriented dramatic piece. The film is also unique in featuring a large cast of amateurs alongside only four established stars.
Co-written and produced by Don Pedro-Aganbi, who plays the lead role, and directed by Victor Okhai, a member of the Directors'Guild of Nigeria, My Dream tells the story of a university student whose sole dream is to be an international football star. If talent and opportunities alone were needed, then BJ, the protagonist, would have been on his way to the top. But the only impediment is his father's blessing. Being an only son, his rich father, (Alex Usifo) would rather he become a professional – a lawyer, doctor or an engineer, with nothing disturbing his academics. The constant tussle between son and father, and mother's emotional interventions are some of the high dramatic points of the film.
But another problem still looms from BJ's friend and teammate, Bruno (Fred Amata) who becomes jealous of his friend's fame in the campus and attraction to beautiful girls. He begins to plot his friend's downfall.
The scenes on the football field are real and rich at every point, so much so that the film almost becomes comparable to the Zimbabwean popular film, Yellow Card, which is widely distributed in Nigeria.
The writers of My Dream said they had not seen Yellow Card before they wrote their script, but the similarities in both films, without any trace of copying, are striking.
Football is the passion of both protagonists and there are two ladies involved in their lives, with the more beautiful of the two always coming at the height of their fame. And when the prospect of a trip abroad comes, something affects the dream.
One may not really see the relevance of the little dots of religious postulations in My Dream , other than to justify the producers'connection to a donor church, or the need by the father to always use bodyguards to bring his son to respect his wish, nonetheless, the film works in the area of soft drama and elaborate attempts to elevate the camera works in it than most films being released these days.