Moremi is a bright postgraduate student at a Nigerian university. Professor Lucien N’Diaye is charming, respected and well connected. When she accuses him of sexual assault, the university sets up a panel to hear the case, and her word is set against his reputation. Citation, released on Netflix in November 2020, turned that story into a courtroom-style drama. It arrived at a time when sexual harassment on Nigerian campuses was the subject of fierce public debate.
The director, cast and structure
Kunle Afolayan, known for The Figurine and October 1, directed the film. It was one of his first projects made with Netflix. Temi Otedola, in her first major film role, plays Moremi. Jimmy Jean-Louis, the Haitian actor, plays the professor. The cast also includes Joke Silva and Sadiq Daba. The film is set largely at a Nigerian university, and filming took place in Nigeria, Senegal and Cape Verde, giving parts of the story an international backdrop.
The story unfolds through the panel hearing, with flashbacks revealing how the relationship between student and professor developed and what happened on the night in question.
Sex for grades and reception
Citation was released after a 2019 BBC investigation, Sex for Grades, exposed lecturers in West African universities harassing students. The film added to public discussion of the issue. The film reached Netflix’s top lists in several countries. Reviewers praised its subject and cast, though some found it long. Temi Otedola, already known as a fashion blogger and daughter of businessman Femi Otedola, won attention for her debut performance.
Citation was part of a growing number of Nigerian films made for or acquired by Netflix, giving Nollywood a global audience. The film is still discussed in conversations about consent and power in Nigerian institutions.
Moremi and the professor
The lead character shares her name with Moremi Ajasoro, the legendary Yoruba heroine of Ile-Ife who is celebrated for her courage. Many viewers saw the choice as a deliberate nod to a woman who refused to be silent. Jimmy Jean-Louis plays the professor as charming and persuasive, which makes the accusation harder for the panel to accept. That choice is central to the film’s argument about how power protects people.
Citation ends in a hearing room, not a courtroom. For many viewers, the hardest part to watch was how familiar that room looked.
