First Film One Original “Adire” Directed By Adeoluwa Owu Wraps Filming in Ibadan

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Adire directed by Adeoluwa Owu “Captain Degzy” has wrapped principal photography in Ibadan, Nigeria.

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After a couple of weeks at different vintage locations in Ibadan, West Africa’s leading film company, FilmOne Entertainment, has wrapped shoot and is now in the post-production stage of its debut original feature film, Adire.

Set in modern times with a feel of ‘vintage’ Nigeria, Adire is a drama that captures the escapades of a young fashion entrepreneur (now retired prostitute), who suffers the effect of a collision between the consequences of her adventurous past and a present messed up by the toxicity of a judgmental clergy’s wife. It stars award-winning and iconic actresses, Kehinde Bankole (as Adire) and Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi (Folasade) in lead roles and features other A-list actors in supporting roles, including Yvonne Jegede, Yemi Blaq, Femi Branch, Idowu ‘Iya Rainbow’ Philips, Ibrahim Chattah, Lizzy J, as well as Ifeanyi Kalu, Kelechi Udegbe, Mike Afolarin, Dami “Goldfish”Ogunsi, Tomi Ojo, Layi Wasabi, Onyinye Odokoro.

The film is directed by renowned filmmaker, Adeoluwa ‘Captain Degzy’ Owu, and has Emmanuel ‘Cinemmaofficial’ Igbekele Odihiri as Director of Photography.

Reflecting on the impact of the project, director, Adeoluwa Owu, is enthusiastic, “Adire is truth and so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project and learnt some valuable life lessons as well. Touching on ‘live and let live,’ it promises to leave an imprint on your heart,” he said.

Jack’enneth Opukeme, writer of the feature shares: “Adire is a theatrical depiction of the struggles of young women in today’s world, interpreted by actors who resonated with its message and were generous enough to allow their vulnerability to bring authenticity to its unreserved emotions, humour and all-around grandeur.

FilmOne’s head of production, Mimi Bartels, expressed satisfaction, “Adire is developed by professionals in-house and has been a creative joy to work on. Cast and crew brought their A-game, assiduously contributing towards bringing the story to life,” said Bartels who credits as supervising producer on the project.

“What we intend to achieve is to tell a culturally-inspired and engaging story that would resonate with viewers from across different works of life and demographics. With the amount of work that has gone into this, I predict that it will be a household name, and we couldn’t be prouder,” she further assured.

FilmOne Entertainment is renowned for its co-productions in the recent past, with a filmography that arrays several blockbusters and award-winners, in the likes of Aki & Pawpaw, Fate of Alakada, Ghost and The Tout Too – all written and co-developed in-house; Prophetess, The Wedding Party franchise, and Sugar Rush, to mention a few. Hence, Adire is the company’s first solely produced film, ideated, developed and produced exclusively by its content team.

Co-founders of FilmOne Entertainment and executive producers of Adire, Kene Okwuosa & Moses Babatope, jointly expressed fulfilment, “Over the years, we have committed to production partnerships that have ensured that film lovers enjoyed the best on the big screen and streaming. Therefore, to consolidate on our successes, we have decided to tap into the abundance of talent and professionalism that constitutes our production team in making our first original – a masterpiece for the global audience. Adire will resonate with the standards of excellent storytelling for a long time,” they said.

Adire is only the first in FilmOne’s slate of originals planned to be shot this year. Two other titles are scheduled to be completed before the end year.