Science grad stars in three TIFF films
Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama has always been able to see the art in science.
She remembers a class at McMaster in which she spent 40 minutes analyzing mitochondria – the “powerhouse” of a cell – and being unable to see anything but beauty.
“I just thought, ‘wow, look at all that art,’” she says from her home in Lagos, Nigeria.
Anyone looking at Iyamah-Idhalama’s activities at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival might say the same thing.
The 2011 Biochemistry grad is featured in three of the eight films being highlighted at this year’s festival as part of its City to City program, which will focus on Lagos.
“93 Days” is a drama about the health care workers at the centre of the Ebola outbreak in 2014.
“The Arbitration” is about a workplace affair in the Nigerian tech industry.
“The Wedding Party” is an over-the-top comedy about a Nigerian wedding party.
Iyamah-Idhalama has also been named one of TIFF’s Rising Stars and will take part in a series of specialized programming that includes meetings with filmmakers, seminars with casting directors and more.
