On Saturday, September 10, EbonyLife Studios and Netflix’s “Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman” premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and executive producer Mo Abudu, as well as the lead cast Odunlade Adekola, Omowunmi Dada, and Deyemi Okanlawon, were all present at the film festival.

The film, directed by Biyi Bandele, is based on Wole Soyinka‘s 1975 screenplay titled “Death and the King’s Horsemen.” Based on true events, the colonial rulers halted a Yoruba King’s horseman from committing ceremonial suicide.

The upcoming film also stars Shaffy Bello as Iyaloja, Olawale Oloforoo (Brymo), and veteran actors Jide Kosoko and Kevin Ushi, with guest appearances by Nollywood legends Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and Ajoke Silva.

Based on real-life events in Nigeria in 1943, Elesin Oba feature in the prestigious special presentation category, the first Yoruba language film to do so.

“Set in the Oyo Empire, between sunset and sunrise, the King’s horseman, Elesin Oba, must commit ritual suicide to follow his deceased king into the afterlife.

“His best intentions are derailed by his sexual desires, which leads to catastrophic consequences and ends in a deadly clash with the British rulers of the day.

“The horseman is unable to fulfil his ultimate commitment to the king, leaving his spirit to roam the earth, spelling doom for the land and its people.

“The original death and the King’s Horseman was a stage play, written by Prof. Wole Soyinka, who won Africa’s first Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.  It is the first time that Death and the King’s Horseman I has been made into a feature film. The screen adaptation was written and directed by Biyi Bandele,”.

The film stars Odunlade Adekola as Elesin Oba, Shaffy Bello as Iyaloja, and acclaimed musician Olawale ‘Brymo’ Olofooro as the Praise Singer, making his screen debut. They are joined by Deyemi Okanlawon, Omowunmi Dada, and veteran actors, Jide Kosoko and Kevin Ushi.

Also featured are Jenny Stead and Mark Elderkin as Jane and Simon Pilkings, Langley Kirkwood, and a special appearance by acting legend Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and Ajoke Silva.

Cameron Bailey, a Canadian film critic and CEO of TIFF, stated, “It was a pleasure to see Soyinka’s words and his mastery of tragic drama transformed into cinema. Odunlade Adekola gives a grand, impressive performance.”

According to the CEO of the EbonyLife Group and executive producer of the film, Mo Abudu said, “In filming Elesin Oba, we chose to stay close to the original work, which is already well-known globally as a great example of African drama.

“It’s an honour to see this compelling introduction to African thought and tradition on screen. Its interweaving of European and Yoruba ideals to depict universal themes of cultural responsibility has never been more important than now.”