RMD, Ireti Doyle, Sam Dede star as ‘The Black Book’ debuts Sept 22

‘The Black Book’, a film starring Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD), is set for its Netflix debut on September 22.

‘The Black Book’ is a fictional thriller that explores Nigeria’s history of military dictatorship, drug trafficking and politics, through the journey of a retired hitman.

The film is directed by Editi Effiong, who is popular for his other works ‘Up North’ and ‘Fishbone’.

The movie features prominent actors such as Alex Usifo, Sam Dede, Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett, Denola Grey, Shaffy Bello and Ireti Doyle.

Anakle Films, the producers of the movie, in a statement on Monday, described it as “Nigeria’s biggest-budget film to date, with a budget exceeding $1 million”.

“The Black Book details the fictional story of Paul Edima, a former military and drug cartel hitman in Nigeria who cemented his legend with an unparalleled record of assassinations, coups, abductions and drug operations,” the statement reads.

“Faced with the hard choice of going back to kill a female journalist’s child whom he had spared or losing his own life, the protagonist wagers with his boss, giving up a legendary ledger called ‘The Black Book’, which details incriminating evidence against Nigeria’s corrupt elite in exchange for his life and the child.

“After walking away to live a quiet life for 30 years, Edima is forced back to seek justice when his only son is killed by a gang of corrupt policemen, SARS, in an attempt to cover up the crimes of a politician’s son.”

Editi Effiong, the director of the film, said Nigerians are amazing storytellers, adding that the film is an African story that will resonate with a global audience.

“Nigeria has a complicated but fascinating past. What we aimed to do with The Black Book was to provide historical and cultural context through a fictional, entertaining lens,” he said.

“Great storytelling is universal; this African story will resonate worldwide. We have had world-class actors and the chance to incorporate amazing sets and large-scale location shoots to bring this Nigerian narrative to life.

“Nigerians are amazing storytellers but as a culture, we have tended to distance ourselves, especially in the creative storytelling genre, from the harsher realities of what military rule and corruption did to our land in the 1970s and beyond.”

Watch the trailer below:

In a related development, Anakle Films has acquired RMD Productions Limited, founded by Mofe-Damijo.

The Nollywood star has also been named the new chairman of Anakle Films’ board of directors.

Speaking on the development, Mofe-Damijo said “I am excited to contribute to the growth and innovation of African storytelling. ‘The Black Book’ is an example of what we can achieve, and I believe it is only the beginning of what is to come.”