Shimataver Igbawua is having quite the run. Just a year ago, he was one of ten emerging filmmakers selected for the British Council’s first-ever Film Lab Africa, where he created “Salamatu’s Rhapsody,” a tender coming-of-age short that screened in Lagos and London and earned recognition at the UK Film Awards. Now, he has quietly pulled off something even bigger; he has wrapped principal photography on his first feature film, “Language of the Wind.”
The film finished shooting on July 17, 2025, after weeks of work in Northern Nigeria with a small but deeply committed crew. Shimataver, who both directed and produced the project, is keeping details close for now.
“This film represents everything I’ve been becoming as an artist, as a producer, and as a storyteller,” he says. “It’s personal, it’s cultural, it’s layered, and I want audiences to experience it with the same care we created it with patience and wonder.”
Over the past year, Shimataver has been quietly building his reputation in Nigeria’s indie film space. After Salamatu’s Rhapsody premiered at the Nigerian International Film & TV Summit and was selected for Film Africa 2024 in London, he joined the prestigious CcHUB Media & Entertainment Hub Champions Program on gender-equitable storytelling, alongside industry greats like Joke Silva, Omoni Oboli and Uche Pedro. That programme took him all the way to the Tribeca Film Festival in New York for an international learning experience.
“Last year, I made a short film with grant support. This year, I’ve made a feature with my own hands and tribe. It’s humbling. It’s wild. It’s real,” he says.
Shimataver is no stranger to big projects either. He worked as an Associate Producer on the Sundance-winning “Mami Wata,” handling sponsorship and brand partnerships. But this new chapter feels different. “Language of the Wind” marks his leap into full creative ownership, and though he’s not saying much about it yet, anticipation is quietly building.
Post-production is already underway, and whispers suggest a world premiere isn’t too far off.
