Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman
A 2022 Yoruba-language Nigerian historical drama film directed by Biyi Bandele and distributed by Netflix, based on Wole Soyinka‘s Death. A stage play he wrote while in Cambridge, where he was a fellow at Churchill College during political exile from Nigeria. And it is based on a real incident that took place in Yorubaland during British Colonial rule. The film stars Odunlade Adekola as the titular character. With Shaffy Bello, Brymo, Deyemi Okanlawon, Omowunmi Dada, Jide Kosoko, Langley Kirkwood, amongst others in supporting roles. The film is based on a true story and set in the 1940s Oyo Town, southwestern Nigeria. The king has just died, and as tradition demands Elesin Oba must perform ritual suicide. In order to join his dead king in the afterlife. The king may gain free passage into the land of the gods, thus blocking disaster from befalling the community.
The film is co-produced by Ebony life TV Studio and Netflix and is adapted for the screen and directed by. Biyi Bandele. The screenplay was translated in order to Yorùbá and the film was subsequently subtitled into English by Nigerian linguist. Kola Tubosun, a decision described as “one of [the film’s] more ticklish conceits” [11] and “the only way to make the film. Immediately accessible to a global audience.”[12] Furthermore, the movie premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on 9 September 2022 [13][14] and was released in Nigerian cinemas on 28 October 2022 followed by a Netflix release on 4 November.[15]It is Soyinka’s first work to be made into a motion picture since the 1970 film Kongi’s Harvest. By Ossie Davies and the first Yoruba-language film to premiere at TIFF.[5][16] The director, Biyi Bandele, passed away shortly before the movie’s premiere, having said that in August 2022.