A UNIVERSITY of Bradford student is over the moon after his film premiered at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival last week.

Babatunde Apalowo flew out to Germany to attend the 10-day festival, with his film All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White nominated in three award categories there.

“To get selected for the Berlinale is so exciting. Then to be nominated for the awards, especially for the 'first feature film' award, was completely unexpected,” the 36-year-old said.

“I submitted the film in November. To be told it had been selected was fantastic.”

All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White tells the story of two men, Bambino (Tope Tedela) and Bawa (Riyo David), who meet and quickly develop strong feelings for each other, in a society where same-sex relations are both taboo and can lead to prosecution. 

The film – which Apalowo said explores themes of love, acceptance and identity – is described as a “sensual and politically important film about finding love where you least expect it". 

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Screenwriter and director Babatunde ApalowoScreenwriter and director Babatunde Apalowo (Image: Berlinale)

Apalowo – who previously won a Nigeria Integrity Film Award for his short films, Lost Children and A Place of Happiness – is studying for an MSc in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.

The filmmaker, who also won an Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award for Best Editor last year, grew up in Lagos and came to Bradford to study in January 2022.

His decision to choose Bradford was also influenced by its rich film heritage. 

“Bradford is pretty amazing. I love the diversity here,” he said.

“When it came to choosing where to study in the UK, I read about how Bradford is the first UNESCO City of Film, and that made my mind up.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Another still from the filmAnother still from the film (Image: Polymath Pictures)

Apalowo wrote his first script in 2014.

“It was only a hobby, but I decided I would get into directing and I studied some courses online,” he said.

He said his studies – including a degree in engineering in Nigeria – have helped him become a better filmmaker. 

“In terms of artificial intelligence, that can be applied to many different things, including filmmaking,” he explained.

“I definitely think the things I’ve learned at university have helped my filmmaking, particularly in managing people on set.

“In the future, I would like to be able to combine my studies with my love of filmmaking.”