By Natalia Albin Legorreta
Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku has joined the team of Joan Iyiola’s Mango. The short, which premiered at the Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying Santa Barbara International Film Festival last February, got a distribution deal through Disney+ before announcing Mosaku’s executive producer credit.
Mango, Iyiola’s directorial debut, tells the story of Zadie, a florist silently suffering from fibroids. When she gets her dream job, she tries to control her body as it morphs and growths threaten to take over.
It is a personal story for Iyiola. “I learnt that fibroids are non-cancerous tumours in and around the womb [...]. There is a higher prevalence of fibroids in Black women, but doctors don’t know why. [...] When I asked my doctor why there was so little research, he smiled and suggested that maybe I do it,” the writer, director and producer wrote for British Vogue back in August last year.
“Mango is a visceral and urgently needed film,” Mosaku told Deadline. “Joan Iyiola turns the long-dismissed reality of women’s experiences with fibroids into a poetic and powerful story. Her voice is striking, full of bravery and humanity. I’m honored to support this award-winning film as it reaches a wider audience and helps transform how we understand fibroids worldwide.”
The short is produced by Iyola’s own Apatan Productions and Salaud Morisset. Alongside Wunmi Mosaku, executive producers are Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor (Dreamers) Thomas Hawkins (Animol), Elisabeth Hopper, Joe Bell (Dọlápọ̀ Is Fine), and Dr. Christine Ekechi.
