EbonyLife Films’ new drama, Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman, had its world premiere on September 10, 2022, at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Canada. The film premiered in the Special Presentations category of the festival, making it the first Yoruba language film to premiere in that category.
Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman is an adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s play, Death and the King’s Horseman. It is set in the 1940s Oyo Empire and tells the story of Elesin Oba, the king’s chief horseman, who succumbs to the lure of beauty and sexual desire on the very evening he is set to die in order to fulfill his lifelong debt of ritual suicide to accompany the dead Alaafin to the realm of the ancestors. This derails him from a very important generational and spiritual transaction and sets in motion a series of catastrophic consequences.
Now in its 47th year, the Toronto International Film Festival is an annual festival featuring some of the biggest names in film, offering diverse and innovative perspectives on the art and business of film. The 2022 edition kicked off on September 8 and will run till September 18, 2022.
The cast and crew of Elesin Oba made it to the film’s world premiere at the ongoing TIFF. Some of the faces at the premiere included Mo Abudu (CEO of EbonyLife Group and executive producer of Elesin Oba), Odunlade Adekola (lead male character/Elesin Oba), Omowunmi Dada (Elesin Oba’s bride, Heidi Uys and Deyemi Okanlawon.
The film, which is directed by Biyi Bandele, is slated for an October 7 theatrical release and a November 4 Netflix premiere.
Check out some moments from the film’s premiere at the 2022 TIFF.
