*Says, ‘Football is my sanctuary’

By Benjamin Njoku

Budding filmmaker, Erhabor Obakpolo, who will soon release his latest movie project, “Revenge” has described football as his ‘sanctuary”, which he enjoys playing more than anything else.

Erhabor, a US-based script writer and filmmaker said he started playing football while growing up in the ancient Benin city.

At one point, he sustained an injury and had to undergo surgery, yet he didn’t give up his love for football. He said, “After my surgery, the doctors asked me to walk around so that the wounds could heal faster. As I was moving around, I admired nature and it really helped in my writings. I still play football. It’s something I would obviously do till I turn 50. But, the speed is not there anymore. It’s like my sanctuary. I can place an altar of football in my house,” the film maker said.

Erhabor, who studied Accountancy at the University of Benin before relocating to the United States, said despite sustaining injury, he still plays football till date.

Being a handsome dude, one would have expected that Erhabor would prefer to make a career in front of the camera but this is not the case here, as the Benin-born filmmaker said he loves being behind the scenes directing things. He mentioned American actress Shonda Rhimes, the creator of “How to get away with Murder” as his inspiration. According to him, “I have this genre that aligns with her productions.”

Erhobor also revealed that he finds solace in writing. “I am excited when I see people’s work, not just in movies but in music and football. When I see artworks, I fall in love with the person and the work. It pushed me to be even more creative on my own”, he said.

In his upcoming movie, Erhobor describes ‘Revenge’ which he said was shot in Lagos as a very fascinating story. It tells the story of a father who lost his daughter, the only child of the family on the day of her matriculation.