This is love

Three couples, one country, love in defiance of a hostile law

This Is Love presents an intimate and compelling portrait of queer life in Nigeria, a country where the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act outlaws same sex relationships and punishes anyone who supports or promotes them. Directed by Victor Ugoo Njoku and Neec Nonso, the documentary focuses on three Lagos based couples, a gay couple, a lesbian couple and a trans man with his cisgender partner. Their stories unfold in homes and safe spaces, offering a rare opportunity to understand the emotional and social landscape that surrounds LGBTQ+ people in Nigeria.

Two of the couples remain anonymous, their identities protected through masks and altered voices. One lesbian couple appears unmasked, an act that becomes a quiet and deliberate statement of confidence and defiance. Through their reflections on family tensions, spirituality, healthcare, discrimination and the struggle for acceptance, the film illuminates the many pressures that shape queer relationships within a conservative society. The documentary also revisits significant events such as the 2023 police arrest of two hundred men accused of participating in a gay wedding, highlighting the hostility LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face and the public reactions that follow these incidents.

The film traces Njoku’s personal motivation, grounded in his own experiences growing up in Nigeria and witnessing the stigma associated with gender expression. His encounter with a British Nigerian queer man became the foundation for the project and inspired a commitment to humanising this community on screen. Throughout the film, warm lighting, reflective music and textured cinematography create a gentle atmosphere that invites viewers into the private moments the couples share. Scenes of cooking, relaxing and spending time together reveal their relationships as joyful, ordinary and deeply human.

By combining personal testimonies with broader social and legal context, This Is Love shows how queer couples navigate love and connection in a country where their existence is challenged by law and culture. The film calls for a more open and inclusive society, encouraging conversations about identity, acceptance and the emotional cost of rejection. As a collaboration between VUN Productions and Aguocha, the documentary has been recognised internationally, winning Best LGBTQ Feature Film at the Bahia Independent Cinema Festival in Brazil and preparing for its European premiere at the Independent Days International Film Festival in Germany in 2025.