Girl-Boy (2025)

Girl-Boy tells the story of four women who navigate life as masculine-presenting women in Nigeria, a society with rigid gender expectations.

About the film

Through the lives of Tinuke, Fred, Ella, and Lara, Girl-Boy explores the complexities of gender expression, societal pressure, and self-acceptance in Nigeria. Tinuke’s journey begins with a stranger’s question—“Why do you look like a boy?”—sparking her self-discovery. Fred, raised in a patriarchal home, gives up football to appease her father. Ella questions whether her masculinity was inherited or shaped by her upbringing, while Lara reflects on how childhood hustling fostered her independence.

As they grow, their struggles intensify—wrongful detention, public humiliation, and lost opportunities highlight the dangers of not conforming to traditional femininity. Yet, each woman reclaims her identity in her own way: Tinuke gains her parents’ acceptance, Fred leaves home to pursue a fulfilling life, Lara embraces her masculinity despite criticism, and Ella challenges beauty standards on her own terms. Girl-Boy is a portrait of resilience in a society that demands conformity.