Toyosi Etim-Effiong, media personality and wife of actor Daniel Etim-Effiong, has expressed pride in her husband’s directorial debut The Herd.
Toyosi on Monday shared a picture of herself and Daniel on Instagram, recalling the journey that led to his first feature film.
“When I met @etimeffiong and asked what his plans in life were, he said pretty straightforwardly, ‘I want to make films’. He was getting a Masters in Filmmaking at the University of Johannesburg in SA and I was getting a one-year diploma in Producing at New York Film Academy in New York, so his dream didn’t scare me. In fact, it seemed like we were very much aligned.
“Over the years he would hone his skills directing commercials for brands like Shell, Unilever Project Sunlight, Cadbury’s TomTom, R&B’s Veet, Dettol, Jik, Harpic…
“He would also direct documentaries like the AMVCA-award-winning Skin, as well as short films including Crimson: Your Cup of Tea, which ended up winning the Komla Dumor Award for Storytelling 11 years ago.
“I say all this to show that Daniel as a director didn’t just ‘come from nowhere’. There is a foundation and it’s a solid one.
“The Herd is the first of many blocks to be placed on this foundation and I’m ridiculously proud of him.”
The Herd, a crime thriller set in South-West Nigeria, explores themes of family, loyalty and generational conflict. The film was presented at the Marché du Film during the Cannes Film Festival.
Toyosi, who studied producing at the New York Film Academy, has often defended their marriage publicly. In January, she said Daniel could kiss “any actress he wants on set” without it affecting their home.
Daniel has also spoken about the backlash his wife sometimes faces online, admitting in an interview that it hurts to see her criticized for simply being herself.
