Adebayo, Akinmolayan link on Yoruba epics
Nollywood producers Femi Adebayo and Niyi Akinmolayan have partnered to produce a slate of Yoruba movies.
Their first project is Ogundabede – King of Thieves, which will be produced by Adebayo and Akinmolayan’s respective production companies, Euphoria 360 and Anthill Studios.
The film was shot in Nigeria’s Oyo state and is an epic tale of the kingdom of Ajeromi. In the film, the kingdom is being terrorised by a band of thieves led by a powerful bandit named Ageshinkole. Concerned by his pillaging, the kingdom moves to destroy him using hunters, witches and priests, thus beginning a saga of revenge, bravery and glory.
The film is directed by Adebayo Tijani and will be distributed by Film One Entertainment. The cast includes Adebayo himself alongside Odunlade Adekola, Adebayo Salami, Joke Muyiwa, Toyin Abraham, Lateef Adedimeji, Ibrahim Chatta, Peju Ogunmola, Dele Odule, Broda Shaggi, Kunle Afod, Mr Macaroni and Aisha Lawal.
According to Akinmolayan, the deal between Euphoria 360 and Anthill Studios will see the studios combine talent, distribution, marketing and post-production resources to create projects for multiple platforms.
He said: “It is important for the industry to scale. There is no industry in the world where scale happens without collaboration. And when this collaboration happens, both parties have understood where their strength lies and must set out to then combine these strengths to not only push boundaries but also break old milestones and achieve new ones to inspire the next generation of creators.
“Anthill never fails to deliver technical and creative expertise. We are also good with marketing, post-production, delivery on budget and VFX. Our partner Euphoria 360, on the other hand, has access to a trove of Yoruba stories with actors, locations and everything that makes a story work, including their fan base.
“All of these combined resources and more is what makes this partnership a solid one, and we are happy to showcase our first project from this slate, Ogundabede – King of Thieves.”
The theatrical release date for Ogundabede – King of Thieves is set for April 8.
tagged in: Femi Adebayo, Niyi Akinmolayan