Theatre/filmmaker, Leke Akinrowo, in conjunction with Optiva Capital Partners has concluded plans to bring to the big screen a true-life inspired film project titled The Kiss of Death. The film, according to Akinrowo, hopes to make a global impact and be the beginning of something wonderful coming to Nollywood.
The feature film, which is set to kickoff principal photography soon with a large percentage of the scene shot in the North, will examine some cultural and religious issues in the face of emergency. It has as its director, Terry McMahon, a renowned Irish filmmaker who has worked on a number of Nollywood projects.
Speaking at a media parley in Lagos on Tuesday to herald the film, Akinrowo said: “The Kiss of Death tells a tragic-love story of a Lagos boy who goes to the Northern part of Nigeria to serve.
“He performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an emergency lifesaving procedure on a young lady in Hijab, which was not taken lightly by the society (North) as it was misinterpreted, resulting in cultural clash.”
“The implications of that and all the issues surrounding it are the things the script explores. It’s a human angle story; the kind of story that is based on a real life situation. I became fascinated with it, and a friend of mine asked if there’s something we can do about it, if we can make a movie out of it. So after the discussion progressed, I decided to go try my hands on writing it. And at the initial stage, we’re going to produce it in a different way,” the filmmaker added.
Written and produced by Akinrowo, who is also the founder/CEO of Riveting Integrated Entertainment Limited (RIEL), an entertainment company with interests in film, theatre, music, television, publishing, events, promotion, artistes’ management and arts’ distribution, the film has fairly well known young and old faces in the Nollywood taking part in it.
“We are also trying to use this project as an opportunity to deepen the relationship between the film industry in Nigeria and the more advanced, more developed film industries of the world,” he explained.
Intrigued by the script, a cast member of the movie, Francis Onwochei lauded the project, saying, “I think it will make an absolutely brilliant picture, particularly because of the unique topic that it treats. Then when you also marry this with the idea of Terry McMahon coming to give life to it shows you that the makers of the film actually intend something bigger that will make a global impact.”
Speaking on the involvement of Optiva Capital Partners, the Executive Director of the company, Amaka Okeke-Lawal, reiterated the company’s interest in youth empowerment through entertainment.
She said, “We help in youth empowerment, we want to empower people. Entertainment is key; when you speak about entertainment that’s a huge sector and we love entertainment. The storyline is amazing! And how can we not be a part of this?
On how he intends to turn around the movie so that it becomes a blockbuster hit, the director, Terry McMahon said “audiences respond to human beings doing impossible things. This is compelling enough on the page already and our responsibility now is to take it off the page and turn it into something universal.”
