On 18 August, beloved Nollywood actor Ramsey Nouah welcomed members of the Nigerian film industry to a venue located in Lekki, Lagos. The occasion was a screening of his latest directorial effort, Tokunbo.
The film stars Gideon Okeke, Majid Michel, Tosin Adeyemi, and Chidi Mokeme, all of whom were in attendance. It also stars Funlola Aofiyebi, who was absent at the event.
Also present were Charles Novia of Teen TV Africa, Chioma Ude of AFRIFF, and director Uzodinma Okpechi. Other guests from the film industry include, Muhammed Atta (who DP’ed the film) and director Damilola Orimogunje.
Starring Okeke in the titular role, Tokunbo is the story of a man directed, by an unknown voice over the phone, to ferry the kidnapped child of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria across the Seme border. He has three hours to do so while his own child and wife are held hostage.
At the screening, Tokunbo was well-received. The audience cheered at certain points during the film. Their enjoyment seemed undisturbed when the film was paused so that the night’s host could announce the “no-recording” policy of the screening.
Following the end of the film, Tokunbo‘s cast and crew were invited to the stage by Funnybone. To celebrate Nouah, the comedian, who has a small but pivotal role in the film, asked that the audience cheer. “We call him the Nollywood Forever Living Product,” he joked.
A small laughter scattered across the hall, which was increasingly noisy. The joke referenced the fact of Nouah’s enduring fame. Although he found fame as an actor decades ago, Nouah has moved behind the camera in recent times, directing 2019’s Living In Bondage—Breaking Free as well as Rattlesnake the following year.
Both films showed on the big screen before their Netflix debuts. Tokunbo will have a different fate. It goes straight to Netflix, where subscribers to the streaming platform will get a chance to see it from August 23.
