Biyi Bandele’s ‘Elesin Oba’ to hit cinema Oct 28

‘Elesin Oba’, a film by Biyi Bandele, the late movie director, is set for an October 28 cinema debut.

EbonyLife, the production firm, said the film has its limited Nigerian cinema run from October 28 to November 4.

Based on real-life events in Nigeria in 1943, ‘Elesin Oba’ will feature in various cinemas including EbonyLife, Filmhouse, Genesis, and VIVA in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, and Akure, among other cities.

Set in the Oyo Empire, between sunset and sunrise, the film tells the story of a king’s horseman, Elesin Oba, who must commit ritual suicide to follow his deceased master into the afterlife.

His best intentions are derailed by his sexual desires, which leads to catastrophic consequences and ends in a deadly clash with the British rulers of the day.

The horseman is unable to fulfill his commitment to the king, leaving his spirit to roam the earth and spelling doom for the land and its people.

‘Elesin Oba’ is based on ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’, a stage play written by Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian literary genius who won Africa’s first Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.

The film project is the first time that one of Soyinka’s works would be made into a feature film.

The screen adaptation was written and directed by the late Biyi Bandele who passed away earlier this year.

‘Elesin Oba’ stars Odunlade Adekola as the lead character, Shaffy Bello as Iyaloja, and Brymo as a praise singer.

They are joined by Deyemi Okanlawon, Omowunmi Dada, Jide Kosoko, and Kevin Ushi.

Also featured are Jenny Stead and Mark Elderkin as Jane and Simon Pilkings alongside Langley Kirkwood.

The film features a special appearance by Joke Silva and Taiwo Ajai-Lycett.

Speaking on the project, Mo Abudu, EbonyLife CEO who executive-produced the film, said: “In filming Elesin Oba, we chose to stay close to the original work, which is already well-known globally.

“Interweaving of European and Yoruba ideals, to depict universal themes of cultural responsibility, has never been more important than now.”

One condition for a movie to qualify for being entered to compete in the IFF (international feature film) category of the Oscars is that such an entry must have done at least seven days in the cinema before going on Netflix.

Hence, Nigerian filmmakers do a limited cinema run after which their movies proceed to debut on the streamer.