MUSCLE

Forum Expanded 2026

With no single protagonist or linear narrative, the film immerses us in a spectacle of strength through an intimate portrait of bodybuilders in the slums of Lagos. Inflated muscles, bulging veins and luminous skin glistening with sweat fill the screen. Shot almost entirely in close-ups, the camera hovers so near its subjects, moving softly like breath on skin, that at times figures become blurred, abstracted forms. Karimah Ashadu’s slow, measured pans across backs, chests and arms meditate on visibility, drawing attention to the embodiment and representation of the Black male body without rendering it singular or fixed. The metallic clang of barbells is punctuated with guttural sounds of exertion set against the ambience of the streets. Breath and muscle move in syncopated sonic choreography, and the men’s commitment to the ritual of maintaining the body is evident.

by Karimah Ashadu (Director) Nigeria / Italy / Germany 2025 Yoruba 22' Colour International premiere | Documentary form

Crew

Director	Karimah Ashadu
Cinematography	Aigberadion Israel Ikhazuangbe
Editing	Karimah Ashadu
Sound Design	Jochen Jezussek, Onu Rosemaryjoy Chiwendu, Joseph Eyo Edem
Production Design	Karimah Ashadu
Casting	Karimah Ashadu
Producers	Leonardo Bigazzi, Alessandro Rabottini
Co-Producer	Karimah Ashadu

Produced by

In Between Art Film

Rom, Italy

Golddust by Ashadu

Lagos, Nigeria

World Sales

Golddust by Ashadu

Lagos, Nigeria

Photos

Karimah Ashadu

Karimah Ashadu is a British-born Nigerian artist and film director living and working between Hamburg and Lagos. Her practice is concerned with labour, patriarchy and notions of independence pertaining to the socio-economic and socio-cultural context of Nigeria and its diaspora. Ashadu’s work has been exhibited and screened internationally, including at the 60^th Venice Biennale (Silver Lion for a Promising Young Participant), as well as at MoMA PS1, Tate Modern and the Istanbul Biennial. She is the founder of the film production company Golddust by Ashadu, specialising in artists’ films on Black culture and African discourses.

Filmography (selection)

2012 Hindsight - A Horse's Tale · Lagos Island 2013 Apapa Amusement Park · Lagos Sand Merchants 2015 King of Boys (Abattoir of Makoko) · Makoko Sawmill 2016 Destiny · Red Gold 2018 Power Man 2020 Brown Goods 2021 Plateau 2022 Cowboy 2024 Machine Boys 2025 MUSCLE; Forum Expanded 2026

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026