From Funmilayo Adeniji
A documentary film on the life, career and times of the late literary scholar, critic, humanist, and educational rights activist, Emeritus Professor Biodun Jeyifo, has been voted the “Best Short Documentary Film” at the 2026 The African International Film Festival Saskatchewan, Canada.
Titled An Exemplary Life: Biodun Jeyifo’, the 20-minute docu, written and directed by the multiple-award winning storyteller and film activist, Femi Odugbemi, features through a resourceful collection of interviews and archival materials, a reflection on the life and career journeys of the eminent literary theorist and activist, Jeyifo, who died February 11 2026) — a few weeks after he returned home from his United States-base to a lavish celebration of his 80th birthday (January 5) in Lagos and Ibadan as staged by his colleagues and friends.
Produced by the Zuri24 Media, the company reputed for producing such other award-winning films such as Gidi Blues, Makoko:Future Afloat, and lately, The Man Died, among others, the documentary features interviews of other eminent literary voices and activists, including the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, renowned academic, Prof Dan Izevbaye, dramatist, Prof Femi Osofisan, poet laureate Niyi Osundare, and Jeyifo’s childhood friends, Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi and his wife, Iyalode Sade Ogunbiyi, who was school mate to the late Jeyifo. Movies
The deceased’s childen were also featured in the film bringing a different perspective to the character and personality of the man, who was venerated mostly for his volumptuous literary work, public intellectualism, and interventions as a civil and human rights activist – a vocation that made him the first ever president of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU).
The synopsis of the film as posted on the Filmfreeway portal reads; “This documentary explores the life and intellectual legacy of Biodun Jeyifo – renowned scholar, cultural critic, and one of Africa’s most influential voices in literary and political thought. Traversing decades of teaching, writing, and activism, the film traces Jeyifo’s journey from the charged intellectual climate of post-independence Nigeria to global academia, where his ideas have shaped debates on African literature, Marxism, and postcolonial identity. Through archival material, personal reflections, and testimonies from colleagues and former students, the documentary reveals a life devoted not only to scholarship.” Courtesy: Agency