As Nigeria once again confronts the realities of child abuse and gender-based violence through the renewed #JusticeForOchanya movement, Dry, the award-winning film starring Stephanie Linus, has resurfaced as a compelling cultural reflection of the ongoing crisis.
Now streaming on YouTube via Next Page TV, Dry is finding fresh resonance among audiences demanding justice, accountability, and reform.
A searing social drama, Dry tells the parallel stories of Dr. Zara, a successful African doctor grappling with a painful past, and Halima, a 13-year-old forced into marriage with a 60-year-old man in a rural community.
The film captures the devastating cycle of child marriage, rape, and obstetric fistula (VVF), realities that continue to affect young girls across Nigeria.
In light of the renewed outcry for justice following Ochanya Ogbanje’s story, a 13-year-old who died in 2018 after suffering years of sexual abuse, Dry serves as both an artistic and social statement.
The film’s narrative parallels the collective call to end child marriage, protect survivors, and strengthen accountability for perpetrators of abuse.
“Dry was created to spark conversation and empathy, but most importantly, to drive change,” said Stephanie Linus, the film’s director and executive producer. “The #JusticeForOchanya movement reminds us that these stories are not fiction for many Nigerian girls.”
“We must continue to use every platform, including film, to demand justice and ensure such tragedies never happen again,” she added.
Since its release, Dry has received critical acclaim, winning the AMVCA Award for Best Overall Movie in Africa, the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Nigerian Film and Best Young Actor, Programmer’s Award Narrative Feature at the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), and Best Protagonist at the Bentonville Film Festival, among other honours.
The film’s renewed attention in 2025 emphasises the power of storytelling as a tool for advocacy and societal change.
With powerful performances, emotional depth, and a call for reform, Dry bridges art and activism, reminding viewers that justice, dignity, and protection are rights every child deserves.
