EP 157: Unquestioned Truths with Director/Writer/Producer Ella Chikezie

About this episode

Ella Chikezie discusses her directorial debut with the short film In Her Shoes, exploring personal and political themes related to gender-based violence and autism.

Ella Chikezie steps into the director’s chair with In Her Shoes, a short film shaped by urgency and care. Known for her work on Christmas in Lagos and in the production trenches of Choke and Tokunbo, Chikezie makes her directorial debut. The project was awarded under the initiative Using Entertainment Media to Combat Gender Based Violence in Nigeria. For Chikezie, this film is personal. It is also political. It is a quiet declaration of intent. The story follows Halima, a young autistic...

People in this episode

Host: Vanté Gregory

Guest: Ella Chikezie

Topics covered

• film direction
• gender-based violence
• autism representation
• personal storytelling
• political themes

Keywords

• Ella Chikezie
• In Her Shoes
• gender-based violence
• autism
• film direction
• Christmas in Lagos
• Choke
• Tokunbo

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Using Entertainment Media to Combat Gender Based Violence in Nigeria

Books & works: In Her Shoes, Christmas in Lagos, Choke, Tokunbo

More episodes of Visual Intonation

• EP 166: Oscars 2026 Episode with Film Critic Erté Arnold · March 23, 2026 · 2h 42m
• EP 165: No Permission with Cinematographer/Producer/Founder Samuel Hicks · March 20, 2026 · 43 min
• EP 164: Honest Images with Director/Cinematographer David Williams · March 13, 2026 · 1h 14m
• EP 163: Cultural Alignment with Director/Writer/Producer Christian Saint · March 6, 2026 · 1h 19m
• EP 162: The Directorial Gaze with Director/Writer/Producer Alexandria Collins · February 27, 2026 · 45 min
• EP 161: Brick by Brick with Director/Writer/Producer DeVonté M. Brown · February 20, 2026 · 58 min