Set against the quiet grief of loss and the chaos of Lagos streets, ‘God Knows Best’—a new short film written and directed by Nicole Asinugo—will have its first screening on May 19 during a private session held alongside the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
At its heart is Simi, a young mother who resorts to unconventional means to provide for her children following the sudden death of her husband. She takes up work as a commercial bus driver, defying societal expectations and forging forward with the quiet strength of daily survival.
Her decision is met with resistance—from the men who rule the roads and the family members who want her to remarry. “You are being stubborn and acting like a man,” her aunt tells her in one tense scene. “Who will marry a driver?”
The film marks Asinugo’s directorial debut, following her acclaimed screenwriting on Nollywood hits like ‘Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story’ and ‘Living in Bondage: Breaking Free’, which earned her an AMVCA for Best Writing.
With ‘God Knows Best’, she shifts into a more intimate register, crafting a delicate portrait of a woman navigating widowhood, social stigma, and survival.
“Yes, it’s my first film — but beyond that, it explores a truth we all eventually face: grief,” Asinugo tells Nollywire. “We often think we’ll break when it comes, but somehow, we don’t. Especially women. They’re the glue. The backbone. And telling stories like this reminds us that strength doesn’t always look loud — sometimes, it’s quiet, tired, and doing what needs to be done anyway.”
One of the film’s most quietly resonant characters is Samson, a man with albinism, who offers Simi a moment of unexpected clarity as she battles the burden of tradition and the constant policing of womanhood.
In a pivotal conversation, he tells her, “People don’t like what they don’t know.” His words, shaped by his own experience with colourism, echo the film’s deeper commentary on social bias and belonging. “A lot of people here do not know better,” he adds, offering Simi reassurance in a world quick to judge.
Wini Efon plays Simi in what is also her first lead role. She also stars in ‘My Father’s Shadow’, the first Nigerian film ever selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, making this month’s Cannes experience a breakthrough moment for the emerging actress.
“This film deeply resonates with me as an African woman learning to manoeuvre through the ups and downs of life,” Efon says. “Simi’s grit is a trait I continue to strive for. She feels the fear and does it anyway.”
Produced by Ifeoluwa Fatogun (Dundun), ‘God Knows Best’ is the debut project from Write Good Stories, a storytelling house founded to champion grounded, emotionally intelligent African narratives.
It brings together a team of sharp creative voices: Kaliné Njoku (Breath of Life) composes the original score; Daniel Obasi (Embers of Bloom, An Alien in Town) handles costume design. Executive producer Osahon Okunbo backs the project, bringing his track record as a strategic investor in bold African storytelling.
“I read the script in one sitting and knew we had to make this film,” Okunbo says. “Simi’s story reminded me of so many women I know—women who fight through the noise, the odds, the silence. I’m proud the Osahon Okunbo Foundation could help bring it to life. We need more stories like this—and we’re just getting started.”
Asinugo originally wrote the script in English—but it didn’t stay that way. “When Wini read it, she said, ‘I don’t think this woman would speak like this,'” Asinugo recalls. “And she was right. Simi is a Yoruba woman in a specific environment — her voice needed to reflect that. So we translated it.” Though Asinugo isn’t a fluent Yoruba speaker herself, she leaned on emotional fluency to shape the performance. “As long as I can direct that on set, we’ll be just fine.”
The Cannes screening is being held as part of Screen Nigeria’s official programming during the festival, hosted at the same venue as AfroCannes. “It feels especially meaningful,” Asinugo says, “because both platforms are deeply committed to championing African stories. It’s the best kind of home to be in at a place like Cannes.”
As Asinugo has previously shared, stories lose impact when characters aren’t fully human. ‘God Knows Best’ avoids this trap through restraint. Its strongest moments come not in confrontation but in the small, wordless choices its characters make to keep going.
With a story rooted in emotional truth, ‘God Knows Best’ is set to spark conversation—quietly, but powerfully.
