After a swell outing with his pan Africa film, ‘The CEO’, Nigerian filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan is back with a set of three films, sponsored by Multichoice Nigeria.
The threesome; ‘Roti’, ‘Umogwo’ and ‘Tribunal’ will enjoy back-to-back filming that will fast-track their releases, beginning from the first quarter of the year.
Originally planned as television productions, the ace filmmaker has however secured the understanding of his sponsors for the films to explore the traditional channels of exhibitions safe for DVD; thus, the films will make debut with an April 2017 cinema release, enjoy some festival routings before berthing on Africa Magic channels.
The three films are engaging some A-list stars who are acting on Afolayan’s set for the first time.
They include Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Kate Henshaw, Nobert Young, Toyin Oshinaike, Fathia Balogun, Dari Afolayan, Funsho Adeolu, Ade Laoye, Omowunmi Dada, Damilola Ogunsi, Ayo Adesanya, Yaw and Gloria Anozie Young among others.
In ‘Roti’ which stars Afolayan himself playing alongside Kate Henshaw, Toyin Oshinaike, Fathia Balogun and Dari Afolayan, the story is told of how, years after a couple loses their son called Roti to a brief illness, the wife sees a boy called Juwon who is an exact replica of her dead son. After discovering that Juwon is not a reincarnation of Roti, she is washed anew by grief and soon descends into depression and consequent hysteria.
In ‘Tribunal’, “Jimi Disu, a man in his fifties, is one of the bright- minded lawyers who co-establish a leading law firm in Lagos many years ago. However, he lost his sense of direction and strength after being hit by a series of personal challenges that question his resolve as a man. He becomes a ‘charge and bail’ lawyer with no further ambition. Approached by a young, enthusiastic, fresh law school graduate, Tanimowo (who adores him for the stature of his legendary pedigree as a lawyer), to defend her friend, an albino, who has been unfairly relieved of his duties at work, Jimi Disu is presented a chance to battle his old law firm.
‘Tribunal’ stars Omotola Jalade-Ekehinde, Funsho Adeolu, Nobert Young, Ade Laoye, and Damilola Ogunsi.
The third flick which stars Ayo Adesanya, Yaw, Gloria Anozie Young and Omowunmi Dada is ‘Umogwo’, the story of Omotunde, a young Yoruba civil engineer, married to Raymond, an Igbo man. Coloured by different cultural backgrounds, drama ensues when Raymond’s mother, Chimanda, insists on performing Umogwo, an Igbo cultural practice by which the mother of one of the couples lives with the couple for a period of time to relieve the nursing mother of the pressures of convalescing and baby care.
Omotunde’s mother, an egotistic, self-absorbed woman feels she has the right, as Chimanda, to be there for her daughter and granddaughter and receive as much praise as Chimanda. Both mothers-in-law move in with the couple and complicate their lives even further in this comic-filled drama.
The shooting of ‘Roti’ is currently ongoing. Directed by Kunle Afolayan, the movie also marks the return of prolific Director of Photography, Yinka Edward to Golden Effects Production after his further study in the United Kingdom.