AdminDay 4 at Qfest2024 screens ‘The Man Died’, film inspired by Wole Soyinka’s prison notes
The feature film The Man Died, inspired by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s prison notes will be screened Saturday, October 5, at the ongoing Quramo Festival of Words aka QFest, at 4 pm at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe screening will be followed by a Q & A session that will feature the Producer of the film, Femi Odugbemi, whose company Zuri Media 24 anchored the production, and the director, Awam Amkpa, the US-Abu Dhabi-based theatre and film scholar, and director, as well as other members of the cast and crew led by the lead actor, Wale Ojo.
Written by UK-based scriptwriter, Bode Asiyanbi, the film was first screened on July 12 at the Alliance Francaise Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi to coincide with the 90th birthday of the dramatist, poet, essayist, and human/civil rights activist. Though yet to be formally released to the theatre, the film has been enjoying outings at key spaces, including at the Africa Centre in London in July.
After the showing on Saturday, the film will also travel to Ghana, where it will grace the screen on October 11 on the Streamfest bill of the Labone Dialogues, hosted by New York University, NYU Accra. It will later be shown at the Film Africa Festival in London on October 17, and; at the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, ENIFF in Enugu later in November.
Aside from the lead actor, the popular Wale Ojo, other members of the stellar cast expected to grace the screening in Lagos, include top actors in the Nigerian film industry such as Sam Dede (Yisa); Nobert Young (Prison Superintendent), Francis Onwochei (Prison Controller), Edmund Enaibe (AIG), Ropo Ewenla (Obj), Christiana Oshunini (Laide) and Segilola Ogidan (Morenike).
Written by UK-baed scriptwriter, Bode Asiyanbi, and produced by Zuri 24 Media, The Man Died, according to the synopsis on its website — www.themandiedmovie.com — is the story of Wole Soyinka’s 27 months incarceration by the Nigerian government in 1967 at the cusp of the civil war. He was famously seeking a truce between Biafra and the Federal Government to allow time for a negotiated settlement of the conflict. It is fundamentally a personal account. Essentially, the subject found refuge from the brutality inflicted upon him by retreating into and living within his own mind. At times, he drifted about the frontiers of madness, hanging on to himself by a thread. At other times, he pondered, listened, and watched, like only the truly otherwise unoccupied can. Importantly, he managed to scrounge paper and a pencil from time to time and record his journey of ‘motionlessness.”
The director of the film, an actor, playwright, director of stage plays, films and curator of visual arts, Awam Amkpa is a Nigerian-American professor of drama, film, and social and cultural analysis at the New York University in New York and Abu Dhabi. Author of Theatre and Postcolonial Desires (Routledge, 2003), Awam is director of film documentaries and curator of photographic exhibitions and film festivals. He has also written several articles on representations in Africa and its diasporas, representations, and modernisms in theater, postcolonial theater, and Black Atlantic films.
The Producer, an accomplished storyteller, content producer, filmmaker, and media scholar, Femi Odugbemi is the Founder/CEO of Zuri24 Media Lagos, producers of the film. His screen credits over 25 years in the creative industries span feature films, multiple drama TV series and documentaries. He was one of the founding producers of the daily soap opera Tinsel as well as Executive Producer of several popular TV soap operas, including Battleground; Brethren; Movement JAPA, ad Covenant, among others. Also, producer of several award-winning documentaries and feature films, Odugbemi is Co-Founder/Executive Director of the IREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival Lagos and a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
About QFEST:
EXPLORING the theme, “The Shifting: Empowering Voices… Inspiring Minds,” the 8th edition of the annual Quramo Festival of Words (QFest), which runs Tuesday, October 2 through Saturday, October 6 at Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. celebrates “Africa’s rich storytelling culture,” and explores the “evolving dynamics of creativity and cultural connectivity across the continent.”
READ ALSO: Wole Soyinka’s Film Adaptation ‘The Man Died; Set For Release In July
According to the promoters, Quramo Publishing, “QFest 2024 will culminate in a celebration of African storytelling, bringing together writers, filmmakers, and creatives from across the continent for five days of dynamic discussions, learning, and networking opportunities.”
The festival’s highlights include,
- Masterclasses: where experts including Sam Onyelemu (VP, Trace TV), Fidelis Duker (renowned filmmaker), and James Murua (Kenyan writer), will guide participants through sessions on writing, filmmaking, and the creative process.
- Panel Discussions: Conversations with creatives, such as “Lenses of Change: Harnessing the Power of Your Camera for Social Impact,” focusing on the role of storytelling in driving societal change. And a book chat with the likes of Ibiso Graham Douglas on the reflective and entertaining anthology Covik One Nine.
- Cultural Exchange: Featuring Siamsa, an Irish storytelling evening hosted by Ambassador Peter Ryan and Aduke Gomez, celebrating cross-cultural narratives.
- Film Screenings: Featuring screening of two films on the life and careers of the Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka in commemoration of his 90th birthday anniversary: October 3 – Ebrohimie Road: A Museum of Memory, directed by Kola Tubosun; and; October 5 — The Man Died, a feature film inspired by Soyinka’s prison notes of same title, directed by Awam Amkpa, produced by Femi Odugbemi, and starring Wale Ojo and Sam Dede, and others; October 4 – a showcase of short films by emerging filmmakers under the title QShorts and; Word Slam spoken word contest both with cash prizes for the winners.
The festival will conclude on Sunday, October 6, with the unveiling of the 2024 winner of the annual Quramo Writers’ Prize (QWP), aimed at “discovering and nurturing Africa’s next generation of literary talent. The longlist of 20 manuscripts was announced in September by the organisers.
