The Story⚡
January continues to be stacked with the Nigerian series Grind confirmed for a January debut.
Tell Me More
Grind is created by Roberta Orioma The show follows the life of a struggling girl turned stripper, Tarela, as she navigates the hardship of pursuing her dreams while working in a Lagos nightclub. The 10-episode series follows her rise through the ranks, as well as her strained family relationship, the friends she
makes at the club and the lives of these friends.
This is a story of survival, tenacity, family, friendships and chasing dreams.
The title, released under Tunani Productions, is directed by director Orire Nwani, who
recently won the prize for best director at the New York Tri-State International film festival.
The 10 part series stars Uzor Arukwe, Chris Iheuwa, Eso Dike, Daniel Abua, Roberta Orioma, Roseanne
Chikwendu, Steve Enagbare, Harriet Akinola, and introduces Tamara Sindio-Apaun and Oluedo
Blessing Tochi in supporting roles.
On what to expect from the show, executive producer Roberta Orioma says ‘truth… we spent a
a lot of time developing the story, and the audience will connect deeply with the characters and their struggles for a better life.
These characters are real to me, I understand and feel their pain and the audience will too.
Grind launches on 20th January 2023 with its first 3 episodes and the rest of the episodes
spread weekly over the coming weeks.
On directing the series, Orire Nwani said:
‘We spent weeks just going to strip clubs, observing and learning from the world. We also had the female leads register for pole dance classes because I wanted to be as accurate as possible in interpreting this beautiful script the writers had written.
The show is a very honest story. It touches on a lot of topics, some more sensitive than others.
We see both worlds with these characters. One where they can just be themselves and another
where they have to live a lie – adds Roberta.
On Getting a Prime Video release
Our journey to Prime Video cannot be told without Afriff.
We attended Afriff. There was a session with Prime Video. After the session, we took a leap of faith and started a conversation, it led us here.
What inspired the Show?
I could have been a stripper. It’s that simple.
If my life had gone in a different direction, if I had made different life choices, it is possible that you walk into a strip club and I will be there, on the pole, dancing.
I wanted to show that these women were humans too. I needed to say, she can be your sister, your neighbour, a friend, a lover. I needed to show that these women were real people, with real feelings, dreams and families that love them.
On Casting
Talking about the casting process, series producer Josh Olaoluwa mentioned that: ‘’For many
of the girls in the club, it was their first time acting.
The story world was very unique, and we felt the need to cast real strippers who can reflect a lot of the nuances required for the verisimilitude of the show.”
In Summary
This news joins the new wave of emerging creators in Nollywood getting deals with streamers. Grind Launches on prime January 20th.
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