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In Her Perfect Life, Onajite Johnson-Ibrahim (played by Pearl Thusi) appears to have it all. She’s a 39-year-old entrepreneur with the perfect Instagram profile — a fantastic career, a loving husband (played by Ahmed Ibrahim), and two bright and beautiful children — but Onajite is secretly suffering from depression. She’s contemplating suicide.

Iyawo Mi (My Wife) follows the story of Eniola (Bolaji Ogunmola). Economically, she’s on the other end of the scale to Onajite, living in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Lagos. Her husband, Kunle (Lateef Adedimeji) works as a driver. One night he returns home to find his wife in the throes of madness, hallucinating, screaming at their children and threatening to kill them. With little understanding of mental illness and no access to a support system, he decides to take matters into his own hands, with tragic results.

These are two stories of women on the edge.

Mo Abudu, the CEO of EbonyLife Media, has launched Mo Abudu Films and directed two short films that address mental health issues from a Nigerian perspective, a subject that is considered taboo in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

“Iyawo Mi” tells the story of Kunle, a young married man who lives in impoverished downtown Lagos. He returns home one evening to find his wife Eniola appears to be hallucinating, and the film explores the tragic consequences that ensue. Lateef Adedimeji, Bolaji Ogunmola and Segun Arinze are the leading actors, with Jude Chukwuka, Koye Kekere-Ekun and Blessing Obasi in supporting roles.

Meanwhile, “Her Perfect Life” portrays the story of a woman, Onajite Johnson Ibrahim, who is envied by everyone in Lagos but wants to end it all. The film features Pearl Thusi and Joseph Benjamin in leading roles, with Omowunmi Dada, Uzo Osimkpa, Mary Lazarus and Christian Paul in supporting roles.

Mo Abudu, the Nigerian media mogul behind EbonyLife Media, has launched a new label, Mo Abudu Films, that aims to broaden the spectrum of Nigerian cinema by making more “personal and intimate” films that champion “the voices and perspectives of underrepresented communities.”

The label will also serve as a vehicle for Abudu’s directorial ambitions. The prolific producer of such Nigerian box office hits as Fifty and The Wedding Party as well as TV series including Netflix’s Blood Sisters has helmed two short films, Her Perfect Life and Iyawo Mi (My Wife), that will mark the first titles on the Mo Abudu Films slate.

Both projects address mental health issues, a taboo subject in Nigeria and throughout much of Africa. Her Perfect Life follows Onajite Johnson Ibrahim (Pearl Thusi), a 30-something woman who appears, on Instagram, to have the ideal life — a flourishing career, a loving husband (Ahmed Ibrahim...