Award-winning Nigerian filmmaker C.J. Obasi’s follow-up to his critically-acclaimed guerrilla debut feature, Ojuju, and sophomore effort O-Town (both covered on Shadow and Act), is an Afrofuturistic short film based on award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor‘s 2011 short story Hello, Moto.

Titled Hello, Rain, the Fiery Film presentation, in association with Igodo Films and Matanya Films, follows a woman who discovers witchcraft in science, and science in witchcraft, when she creates wigs for her friends that give them supernatural powers. The story tackles individual and societal identity and the role wigs play in them in a tale that unfolds via a blend of witchery and technology.

The prolific Obasi, who first caused an international stir with his zombie thriller Ojuju, and immediately followed that with the crime-thriller O-Town, both with contemporary Nigeria as the backdrop, looks to do the same with his adaptation of Okorafor’s short story Hello, Moto (which you can read here) in another renegade take on a familiar genre.

Set to make its world premiere at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen (a short film festival in Oberhausen, Germany) on May 6, 2018, Hello, Rain stars Keira Hewatch, Tunde Aladese and Ogee Nelson.

Ahead of its world premiere, the filmmaker released the film’s first trailer today (May 2), which you can watch below, followed by character poster art.