💘 Back to the Hallways: School Love Stories Captures the Chaos and Beauty of First Love

Hi Dreamers,

Sometimes, the best stories are the ones we already know, but haven't truly seen. Especially when it comes to the universal, chaotic experience of first love.

That's why we're beyond excited to announce our next major project: School Love Stories (SLS). As the title suggests and implies, SLS is an anthology, a compilation of four distinct short stories, all set within the vibrant, hormonal confines of a secondary school.

(L-R) Ada (Ite Nwajei), Idris (Arab Zaid), Tare (Ogemdi Uchegbu), Kemi( Jessica Oyinye), Danny (Olives Adesan), and Gozie( Diala Ebube Daniel),

(L-R) Funmi (Cherish Moses) & Tayo (Tunmise Ilariogun)

Olives Adesan (left), playing Danny, & a cross-section of the School Love Stories cast.

The Heart of the Story

SLS captures the uniqueness, the freshness, and the breathtaking sincerity of early love. Though all four stories share the same school halls, they explore different facets of teenage romance.

The reality of early love breathes passion, unveils the desire to enjoy it, but also the universal need to keep it perfectly, terrifyingly hidden. We dive deep into:

• The beauty of a crush's existence.

• The uncertainty that accompanies a new realization.

• The fear of its manifestation in public.

We are packaging these four incredible short films into one powerful movie experience for the initial release, before releasing the individual films. The Four Films of SLS

School Love Stories follows four stories, each written by Jesimiel Damina and directed by Jemima Damina, and was designed to capture a unique type of adolescent intimacy:

• Love Notes: This film centers on Ada, a shy writer who leaves anonymous notes for her crush, Idris, only for her best friend, Kemi, to intercept one, creating an emotional crisis.

• Five More Minutes: This story captures the electric, hesitant moments between Ella and Danny in a parked car at the end of a first date, as they negotiate just "five more minutes" of conversation.

• The Trouble with Us: We dive into the explosive moment when Funmi discovers her best friend, Tayo (her partner in pranks), is secretly in love with her.

• Night Call: This is the unexpected intimacy forged between two classmates, Tare and Gozie, who barely speak in daylight, through a spontaneous, late-night phone call.

School Love Stories wrap party with the cast and crew

Behind the Scenes: The Chaos That Creates the Magic

The days leading up to the shoot felt truly extraordinary. Every department had crucial tasks to execute, and it was a genuine, all-hands-on-deck effort to ensure maximum efficiency and deliver a captivating production.

The challenges were real:  logistics, securing the perfect accommodation, managing feeding, orchestrating transportation, and ensuring the costume and styling were precisely right. Each area came with its own set of problems, but we were able to tackle them all thanks entirely to the power of teamwork.

From the first nervous rehearsals to the moment the cast and crew truly connected, the energy was electric. Our lead actors were instant sweethearts, inquisitive, determined, and utterly charming, bringing a new layer of sincerity to these characters.

This film is a testament not just to the script but to the collective commitment to capturing those fleeting, precious moments of youth. We look forward to sharing it with you.

Love Notes BTS

Jemima Damina (Director SLS) & Jesimiel Damina (Writer/Producer SLS)

Cross-section of the SLS cast and students

Which of these four stories are you most excited to see brought to life?