‘Clarissa’ Trailer: Sophie Okonedo, Ayo Edebiri, and More Lead a Modern ‘Mrs Dalloway’ Set in Nigeria

Neon will be releasing the Cannes favorite, directed by brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri, this December.

Among the many titles Neon brought to the 2026 Cannes Film Festival — including eventual Palme d’Or winner “Fjord” — “Clarissa” emerged as a gem from the Directors’ Fortnight section. And a Queer Palm nominee to boot.

Written and directed by newcomers Arie and Chuko Esiri, the drama is an inventive adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s classic novel “Mrs Dalloway,” set in modern-day Lagos, Nigeria, where the sibling filmmakers grew up. The new trailer is now available below.

Cast by recent Oscar nominee Nina Gold, the film features an ensemble that includes former Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo, Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri, Emmy nominee David Oyelowo, and “Queen Charlotte” breakout star India Amarteifio.

At the Cannes Film Festival, during an interview at the American Pavilion, presented by IndieWire, asked how their film parallels Woolf’s post-World War I story with its depiction of a newly democratic Nigeria, Arie Esiri said, “We say often [Nigerians] talk about politics like the British talk about the weather. I think that speaks to the consideration of Nigeria as a place, how we are evolving as a society, and it’s hard to remove ourselves from that dialogue.”

“Clarissa” is only the second Nigerian film to premiere at Cannes; the first was “My Father’s Shadow,” which became the United Kingdom’s submission last year. And, in the brothers’ eyes, a new wave of filmmaking is hitting the West African country. “I think with the generation of filmmakers behind us, you see a film festival has started that showcases short films [in Nigeria],” said Chuko Esiri, who wrote the screenplay for their sophomore feature. “You now have artistically minded shorts being made by local filmmakers, and obviously the internet and streaming has changed everything, so we have filmmakers that are exposed to all sorts of movies.”

These are films that differ from the Nollywood movies their country is known for. “[Nollywood] is something that I am not really interested in engaging with,” said Arie Esiri. “On a societal level, I think we engage with Nigeria in very physical, material, and ideological ways, which makes its way into our films.”

Neon will release “Clarissa” in select theaters starting Wednesday, December 11. Watch the trailer for the film below.