Neon Sets December 11 Release for 'Clarissa,' the Esiri Brothers' Lagos-Set Reimagining of 'Mrs. Dalloway'
Neon has staked out prime awards-season real estate for "Clarissa," announcing the Cannes breakout will open in select theaters December 11.
The film is the second feature from Nigerian twin filmmakers Arie and Chuko Esiri, who broke through with "Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)," the Berlin premiere that won five African Movie Academy Awards and earned a spot in the Criterion Collection. Their follow-up transplants Virginia Woolf's 1925 novel "Mrs. Dalloway" from London to contemporary Lagos, following a high-society woman as she prepares to host a party where she unexpectedly reunites with once-intimate friends from her youth. Over the course of a single night, the group's shared history — old loves, hidden desires, abandoned ambitions — comes rushing back.
Sophie Okonedo and India Amarteifio share the title role, playing Clarissa across different decades of her life. The ensemble, assembled by casting director Nina Gold, also features David Oyelowo, Ayo Edebiri, Toheeb Jimoh, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Fortune Nwafor, Jude Akuwudike, Danny Sapani, and Nollywood veteran Joke Silva.
"Clarissa" premiered in the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes in May — only the second Nigerian feature ever selected in the festival's history — where it drew a lengthy standing ovation and glowing reviews. Shot entirely on 35mm in Lagos and Delta State, the production was financed in part by CANEX Creations, the creative-industries investment arm backed by Afreximbank, alongside Nigerian private equity firm MBO Capital — a notable model for African cinema financing on the global stage. Chuko Esiri wrote the screenplay, with Theresa Park (Per Capita Productions) and Nicholas Weinstock (Invention Studios) producing alongside the brothers. The craft team includes "Aftersun" editor Blair McClendon, composer Kelsey Lu, and costume designer Eniola Dawodu.
The December date positions "Clarissa" squarely in the Oscar conversation for Neon, which is riding high after Best Picture nominations this year for "Sentimental Value" and "The Secret Agent," and has taken the top prize twice in seven years with "Parasite" and "Anora."