Some days ago, EbonyLife Films unveiled the cast and festival trailer for its new project, Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman. The film, which is based on a true-life event and adapted from Wole Soyinka’s play, Death And The King’s Horseman, is to screen in the ‘Special Presentation Category’ at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival taking place in September.
Set in the 1940s Oyo Empire, the film 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, derailing from a very important generational and spiritual transaction. This sets in motion a series of catastrophic consequences.
Elesin Oba is part of the multi-deal licence EbonyLife signed with Netflix, which has seen the production company release films such as Chief Daddy 2 and Blood Sisters. Elesin Oba is rendered for the most part in Yoruba and stars Odunlade Adekola, Shaffy Bello, Olawale ‘Brymo’ Olofooro, Deyemi Okanlawon, Omowunmi Dada, Jide Kosoko, Mark Elderkin, Jenny Stead, Langley Kirkwood, Kevin Ushi, Drikus Volschenk and Fares Boulos ‘Oyibo Rebel’, Ajoke Silva and Taiwo Ajai-Lycett.
The film is produced by Judith Audu, Adeola Osunkojo, James Amuta and Quinty Pillay, directed by Biyi Bandele and executive produced by Mo Abudu.
Scroll down to watch what the cast and crew members have to say about Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman.
Executive Producer Mo Abudu talks about acquiring rights, partnerships and the film’s language.
Heidi Uys, Biyi Bandele, James Amuta and Princess Folashade Adeyemi talk about how the spoken word of the Yoruba language in the film is sweet on the ear in songs by the people, and every lyric carries the meaning of life and death.
Odunlade Odunkola is Elesin Oba, a man who enjoys life to the fullest. His love for the finer things in life – food, fun and women cannot be abridged. He is a storyteller and he loves to dance.
As the king’s horseman’s moral compass, Iyaloja Shaffy Bello is the only one who questions his desire to take a young woman as his wife in the hours leading to his ritual suicide.
Director Biyi Bandele talks about the film’s cast, location and setting alongside Director of Photography, Lance Gewer
Omowunmi Dada is the young bride whose irresistible beauty derails the king’s horseman from a very important generational and spiritual transaction between the unborn, the living, and the dead.
Peter Badejo, James Amuta, Jacob Gadiba, Adeola Osunkojo and Surisa talk about the film’s production.
No one below Simon Pilkings’ hierarchy is spared from his spitefulness – not the king’s horseman, or even Jane, his wife, who fully supports his work of controlling the native communities under his command.
Brymo is Olohun-Iyo, the companion, moral compass, and spiritual guide of Elesin Oba. His emotion-laden songs tell of his closeness to the king’s horseman and the regret of his potential loss to the afterlife.
Deyemi Okanlawon is Olunde, Elesin Oba’s heir, in a spell-binding film of emotions, humour, and tragic role reversals that puts ancient beliefs and customs on trial.
Serving under Pilkings to police the local population, Amusa is a testy and insecure colonialist police officer who is keenly connected to his local religion and culture.
As social commentators on the sidelines, Madam Bola and Madam Taiwo enjoy the status that comes with wining and dining with the colonialists.
Cocky and egotistic, the Resident, Langely Kirkwood is totally dedicated to prosecuting all the wishes of the English Empire in the colony alongside an aide-de-camp, Oyibo Rebel who has an overzealous disdain for the locals.
Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman will premiere on Netflix later this year.
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