Student Oscars filmmaker BillyTheGreat secures the NL Arts Project grant to co-produce Black Tax with Mautin Tairu

Billy The Great’s highly anticipated short film, Black Tax, is now in pre-production after successfully securing funding from The Arts Council (Arts NL) in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This film will be shot in St. John’s, Canada, and Lagos, Nigeria, and will feature a talented and diverse team of industry professionals. BillyThe Great will take on the writer, director, and executive producer roles, leading this exciting project with tremendous vision and unwavering determination.

BillyTheGreat, renowned for his multiple award-winning film Delivery Man, which made waves as the Eicar Film & Television School, Paris official submission for the Student Oscar short film award in 2022, is set to embark on a powerful collaboration with Mautin Tairu as co-producer.

Mautin Tairu, co-executive producer of the critically acclaimed Sundance award-winning film Mami Wata.

Mautin Tairu brings impressive credentials as the co-executive producer of the critically acclaimed Sundance award-winning film Mami Wata, Nigeria’s official entry for the 2024 Oscars.

The production design will be expertly crafted by Tobi Heritage Daniel, the acclaimed production designer behind the Netflix project Adire, while accomplished French sound supervisor Clara Salvy will oversee the film’s sound. This team is poised to create something exceptional.

Black Tax is a riveting dramatic narrative that delves into the complexities of the “Black Tax System” and the interpersonal divide it creates within families seeking better opportunities in the West. The film intricately portrays intra-family conflict, Neo-slavery, sadness, loss, and the pursuit of freedom.

The story is told through the eyes of Laura Nonso, a Nigerian immigrant who arrived in Canada with her family a decade earlier. Driven by a fervent passion for creative design, Laura’s aspirations are thwarted by her stubborn father, who dictates her career choices.

Pressured by her father’s expectations and the financial needs of dependent relatives back in Nigeria, Laura ultimately sets aside her creative ambitions for a more conventional and lucrative career.

This pivotal decision leads her into a life-altering accident, thrusting her into a surreal time loop where she simultaneously navigates two contrasting realities: her conscious life and her subconscious dreams.

Principal photography is set to take place in Canada and Nigeria during the summer of 2025, signaling another impressive production for Charm Studios, owned by BillyTheGreat. Details concerning the cast and shooting dates will be announced soon, along with information on where to follow the film’s progress.

With an adept creative team at the helm, The Black Tax aims to illuminate modern society’s complex internal dynamics associated with the Black Tax System.

This project seeks to explore and critically analyze this systemic issue’s socio-economic and psychological implications, offering a nuanced perspective on its impact on the Black community.

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