The Story⚡
Five market women built a smuggling empire on trust, and one kidnapping is about to test all of it, on a stage aiming to make history.
Tell Me More
Black Market follows five market women who have built a disciplined cross-border smuggling network in response to Nigeria’s fuel scarcity and the wider economic pressure it has placed on ordinary people. The operation runs on structure, with each woman fulfilling a defined role that keeps the business functioning smoothly despite the risks involved. That structure is disrupted when a rival kidnaps the daughter of one of the women, forcing the group into a crisis that tests both their loyalty to one another and their ability to survive what follows. The premise draws on a reality many Nigerians will recognize, and the film uses that familiarity to build a story about consequence, trust, and the cost of survival.
Directing the film is Fatimah Binta Gimsay, who also co-wrote the script alongside Abdul Tijani-Ahmed. Black Market was shot in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and carries an ensemble cast built to give weight to a story centered on five distinct women. Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman and Lateef Adedimeji lead the cast, joined by Omowunmi Dada, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Ibrahim Yekini (known widely as Itele D Icon), Uzor Arukwe, Folagade Banks, Tomiwa Tegbe, Andrew Yaw Bunting, Shamz Garuba, and Adeoluwa Akintoba.
The film is a joint production between Rixel Studios, FilmOne Studios, and Signet Ring Studios. Executive producers on the project include Rixel Studios, FilmOne Studios, Omowunmi Dada, Susan Pwajok, and Mike Afolarin, while Nora Awolowo and Nicole Ofoegbu serve as producers.
On September 26, Black Market will premiere at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, with the event built around an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest film screening ever held at a single location. Organizers, working alongside FilmOne Studios and Switch Visuals Production, are targeting an attendance of 50,000 people, a figure that would surpass the existing record of roughly 43,000. The attempt, if successful, would mark the first time an African film has held that title, and it places the premiere on the same ground where Nigeria declared independence in 1960.
Key Background
Nora Awolowo founded Rixel Studios at the age of 19, after teaching herself photography before moving into cinematography and documentary filmmaking. Her 2019 documentary, Life at the Bay, established her early reputation, and she later became the first Nigerian woman nominated for an AMVCA Best Cinematography award for her work on Lisabi: The Uprising. Beyond her documentary and feature work, Rixel Studios has handled commissioned projects for brands including FIFA, Canon, Guinness, and Showmax.
In Summary
Black Market’s Guinness World Record screening takes place at Tafawa Balewa Square on September 26, where Rixel Studios will find out whether its ambitions both on screen and in the crowd it hopes to gather can be matched in equal measure.
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