The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) kicked off on Wednesday evening, February 7th. Despite the cold and the rain, hundreds to turned out to the Arlington Theatre for the opening night selection of the festival: MADU. MADU is a documentary chronicling Nigerian teen viral ballet sensation Anthony Madu as he travels from his home of Lagos, Nigeria to Birmingham, UK to attend the highly selective Elmhurst Ballet School. Co-directed by American Matt Ogens and Nigerian Joel Kachi Benson, MADU captures the universal rite of passage of leaving home to pursue a dream through Anthony’s journey.

Temple of Geek spoke to the directors prior to the film’s premiere. “We were just so curious about this kid and his confidence and wanted to know his story” recounts Ogens as to what about Anthony hooked him. MADU producer Jamie Patricof had sent Ogens the video of Anthony dancing before it went viral in 2020. Not long after, Lagos native Benson came on board to ensure a “collaboration of cultures” and authenticity when telling the teen’s story. “His [Anthony’s] story reflected my story as a documentary filmmaker out of Nigeria, doing something no one expects,” Benson shared. “…treading the unknown path and daring to do it anyway. It resonated with me.”

Watch the viral video of Anthony that inspired the documentary

The documentary chronicles Anthony’s first year of his scholarship at Elmhurst, thousands of miles from home and thrust into an unfamiliar world. Initially, dance serves at Madu’s only point of connection to his peers at Elmhurst. Anyone who has ever been a new kid at school or thrown into the deep end of a pursuit can instantly relate to the vulnerability, loneliness, and doubt that trouble Anthony at first. His confidence is shaken as he’s immersed in rigorous classes – both ballet and academic – and discovers a physical impairment.

What makes MADU so compelling is its subject’s indefatigable determination. When watching the documentary, it’s easy to forget that Anthony is a preteen given the grace and perseverance he conducts himself with. He does ultimately acclimate to his new surroundings, and after facing bullying for a being a boy ballet dancer, one rejoices when they witness Anthony making friends with his peers at Elmhurst. Benson marvels, “We were so inspired by this young kid, and watching him literally transform before our eyes and evolve from this shy, young kid to this confident teenager in the span of a year and a half was remarkable.”

MADU at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Anthony’s inspirational and hard-earned feel good story made the perfect selection to kick off SBIFF, now in its 39th year. “They [SBIFF] chose a documentary to open the festival, which is really special,” muses Ogens. “It shows…how far documentaries have come and at the end of the day, it’s all about storytelling. Narrative is not above a documentary.”

The support from SBIFF was palpable on Wednesday night. Not only were the MADU directors and creative team in attendance, many filmmakers from other SBIFF documentaries walked the red carpet in support of the film. Santa Barbara mayor Randy Rowse and members of the city council also attended.

Santa Barbara International Film Festival Executive Director Roger Durling welcomed guests to the festival, while Ogens and Benson introduced the movie. Before the premiere, Bension, “I really hope it inspires people across ages and across different spheres of life…I hope people love it and inspired by it.” Given the thunderous applause MADU received at its world premiere screening, it seems that Benson and Ogens achieved their goal.

MADU will premiere on Disney+ on March 29th, 2024.

The 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place LIVE February 7 – February 17, 2024. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, will be held throughout the city. Passes for the 2024 Festival and tickets to the above awards are on sale now at sbiff.org.

 Watch our full interview with the MADU Filmmakers

More about the Santa Barbara Film Festival

A-list and industry guests will again ascend to Santa Barbara, making it a hot location on the awards circuit, and delivering a record number of films with many premieres. The festival will open with the World Premiere of Disney’s MADU and close with the World Premiere of CHOSEN FAMILY. The festival will debut 45 World Premiere and 77 U.S. Premieres from 48 countries. Check out the film lineup and full festival schedule on sbiff.org.