The Story ⚡
TNC Africa has a new indigenous series titled “Ololade” directed by Adeniyi Joseph – Omobulejo and here is everything you need to know.
Tell Me More
The series is directed by Adeniyi Joseph – Omobulejo popularly known as TAJ and stars some of the finest actors from Nollywood.
Femi Adebayo, Mercy Aigbe, Mide Martins, Liz Da-Silva, Jaiye Kuti and Damilola Oni, alongside Nollywood actors like Kunle Idowu (Frank Donga), Adebowale Adedayo (Mr. Macaroni), Oluwatobi Olubiyi (Oli Ekun), Debby Felix and Ayanwale Olanrewaju have been confirmed to star.
Synopsis
Set in Lagos, the dark drama series tells the story of two friends, Shina, a down-on-his-luck high school teacher, and Lateef, a loud, dishonest, auto-mechanic playboy, who both come about money in mysterious ways.
With their newfound wealth, they decide to start a business to build the kind of life they had always imagined for themselves. However, they are not quite prepared for the ill-luck that follows them right after.
“The love of money, they say, is the root of all evil but in Ololade you will find out that money is just an innocent tool that brings out the evil that is already there,” the show’s director said in a statement, as the show has the central themes of greed and a compulsive love for money.
Ololade also reflects on Nigeria’s current dire economic situation, which aligns with TNC Africa’s goal of creating original African content that mirrors contemporary African experience.
With a writing team led by Lani Aisida (My Name Is A-Zed), TAJ describes Ololade as a show with an unpredictable plot, layered with suspenseful moments and intense drama.
Grounding its storytelling in the nuance of Yoruba culture and language, the series provides a level of authenticity that would appeal to all Nigerians in spite of their ethnic group.
All Nigerians can relate to the beauty of speaking their indigenous language with friends and family.
TAJ’s sentiments are shared by one of the show’s executive producers and recently announced co-founder of TNC Africa, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi
“At TNC Africa, we want to present Africa in its originality without any filter or gloss.”
The nature of the story of Ololade demanded that it be told in Yoruba which would provide it with a more honest narration.
Launched in January 2021, TNC Africa is a digital-focused TV production company committed to taking original African stories to the world.
In just its first year, the startup has created 300 hours of television; developed 4 original shows; amassed over 10 million views, and was recently selected as 1 of the 135 recipients of the 2022 YouTube black voices fund.
Ololade becomes the fifth production of the year-old outfit and its first original content for 2022, joining the list of critically acclaimed shows like My Name is A-zed, Little Black Book, Our Best Friend’s Wedding, and the audio series Asoebi.
Like all other projects, TAJ has directed, from film to TV, directing Ololade came with its peculiar challenges but he says the experience wasn’t entirely different. “Filmmaking demands the same hard work and dedication, irrespective of the language it chooses to explore,” he said.
He also adds, “I honestly believe we need more shows with beautiful stories in our indigenous languages.” While such shows are not exactly lacking, they’ve often been relegated to the background, made with a comparatively smaller budget, and targeted mostly to a subsection of the Nigerian audience – speakers of the language they’re made in.
But TNC Africa aims to bridge that gap with the high concept story of Ololade designed to appeal to both the young and old, speakers and non-speakers of Yoruba whether dwelling in an urban or rural setting.
According to Olawale Adetula, CEO TNC Africa, “we believe that a good, well-made story will find a home with everyone.
The success of Ololade will set the stage for much more premium original content produced in Nigeria’s indigenous languages and help accelerate the growth of Nollywood.”
Release Date
Filming has wrapped on the production of Ololade but its official release date is yet to be announced.
In Summary
TNC is making a bold decision to go fully indigenous on this series and that’s a smart move.
This opens up a new audience stream they can tap into as they forge into a new level of growth as a budding production company.
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