Glorious Exit

MoMA

Presents

Series

2007

OUFF

Gran Premio

for Best

Documentary

Film 2008

"The death of a father he never really knew, makes a man come face to face with his African heritage.

And so he begins his journey from Los Angeles to Nigeria to confront his roots."

Jarreth Merz, an actor of Swiss and Nigerian origins living in Los Angeles, ends up facing his roots when he is been told that his father is dead.

Following the Nigerian tradition, in fact, the eldest son has to take care of the funeral of his father. But who is this unknown father? Why does Jarreth feel a moral obligation towards a family he hardly knows and who has never really been interested in him?

Jarreth begins a journey to discover his father through the tales of the people who knew him and a country that doesn’t belong to him even if it is part of his life. Confronting himself with traditions that challenge his beliefs, from Los Angeles to Nigeria Jarreth will face this decisive chapter of his life and the changes that will follow.

WATCH THE MOVIE

credits

director: Kevin Merz

producer: Tiziana Soudani, Amka Films

editor: Samir Samperisi

sound editor: Ricardo Studer

Glorious Exit is my first feature length documentary, because of that and the topic it's very dear to me. When my brother told me that his father in Nigeria had passed away, I immediately knew that I wanted to make a film about this story. The search for identity is a key element of interest in my personal life. I had no clue at that time of all the production issues of a film, but I knew that Tiziana Soudani, a local producer, had an affinity to topics related to africa. So I just walked into her office and told her that i needed 5000USD to by a camera, 2 planetickets and a cow. It took her little time to decide, she gave me the money and I shot the film in 10 days. This was my start into making my own projects and films.