Accelerate TV, Film One To Release Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s ‘Farming’ Across West Africa

Accelerate TV, in its promise to entertain and empower audiences through thought-provoking, captivating content and insightful African stories, is set to release ‘Farming’, a film directed by British actor, Akinnuoye-Agbaje across cinemas in Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia on 25 October.

Released in partnership with Film One and Stunt Group, the British drama is about a child who grows up with a white working-class family in London after his Nigerian parents “farmed” him out, but then joins a gang led by a white supremacist.

The film features veteran actors such as Kate Beckinsale, John Dagleish, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jaime Winstone, Genevieve Nnaji, Mbatha-Raw, among others.

Speaking on the partnership, Head of Accelerate TV, Colette Otusheso said, “The relevance of telling our stories and showcasing our talent on a global stage cannot be overemphasized. At Accelerate TV, we are proud of our position as pioneers in celebrating talents in the Nigerian and global film industry, especially those telling inspiring and thoughtful stories. That’s why it is important for us to bring the film ‘Farming’ to West Africa.”

Based on the writer’s childhood, the film title is derived from a policy popular among Nigerian parents in Britain during the 1960s and 1970s, where in the hope for a better future, they “farmed out” their newborn children to white foster parents, paying them for child care while they focused on their careers or education.

After appearing in more than 50 productions, including The Bourne Identity, Thor, Suicide Squad and Game of Thrones, the film represents Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s directorial debut.

Farming won the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the 2019 Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2019, while Damson Idris, who plays the boy Enitan, won the award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film.