Production on Onyeka Nwelue’s Other Side of History has moved to Canada for the final stretch of filming.
The film focuses on the life of Emeka Ojukwu, between 1954-1960, before Nigeria’s Independence, as he spends time frolicking with different women and throwing parties for his friends, inviting highlife originator, E.T Mensah, from Ghana to play for him with Bobby Benson, singing at his birthday party.
Filming has been taking place in Nigeria, Ghana and the US, before moving to Canada. An October 1st, 2021 launch is anticipated, which is Nigeria’s 61st Independence Day.
Inspired by a 2012 Vanguard Newspaper article by Uduma Kalu, “Ojukwu: Sexcapades of the Biafran leader,” the film is about Emeka Ojukwu, the son of Sir Louis Ojukwu, the richest man in Igboland and friend of Queen Elizabeth.
Emeka has all it takes to attract any woman. He is from a wealthy family and is Oxford educated. His voice is poetry and could turn women’s heads. It is said that he combined romantic poetry with love letters, and deployed very soothing words for his women.
No woman can resist Emeka’s aura and oratory.
Greg Ojefua is Emeka Ojukwu and other cast members include Nollywood veteran, Chiwetalu Agu, Juice Egah, Rachael Okonkwo and Chika Anyanwu (playing Sir Louis Ojukwu).
Makinde Adeniran plays Wole Soyinka, Emeka Darlington plays Chinua Achebe, Hero Daniels plays Chris Okigbo, Emeka Okoye plays Olusegun Obasanjo, Ugo Stevenson plays Philip Effiong, Jammal Ibrahim plays Yakubu Gowon, while Emelie Obodoakor plays JP Clark. Others include Chukwuemeka Ike (played by George Onyebuchi), Emmanuel Ifeajuna (Fellowship Okereke), Mitterand Okorie as Nnamdi ‘Zik’ Azikiwe and Eze Justice plays Kaduna Nzeogwu. Acharaman plays ET Mensah, while Nigerian artiste and voice-over act, TerryTheVoice, plays Bobby Benson.
Other Side of History is directed by Onyeka Nwelue (Agwaetiti Obiuto) and based on a screenplay by Odega Shawa and Onyeka Nwelue. The film is produced by Lorenzo Menakaya for Blues & Hills Pictures Ltd. Nwelue adapted his novella Island of Happiness into an Igbo-language film, Agwaetiti Obiụtọ, which won Best Feature Film by a Director at the 2018 Newark International Film Festival and went on to be nominated for Best First Feature Film by a Director as well as the Ousmane Sembene Award for Best Film in an African Language at the 2018 Africa Movie Academy Awards.
Chinua Achebe (Emeka Darlington), Wole Soyinka (Makinde Adeniran), Olusegun Obasanjo (Emeka Okoye), JP Clark (Emelie Obodoakor) and Philip Effiong (Ugo Stevenson).
His creative team includes Director of Photography Alfred Odiba (Dramin), Costume Designer Victoria Chukwuzua, Make Up artist Emmanuel Abanobi, Veronica Chidinma and Godwin Onyx Ogaga and Hair Designer Judith Aririguzo with Matthew Alagbile as the Production Designer. Script Supervisor is Peter Agber, with Uzoukwu Nzeribe as Line Producer . The original score is by award-winning producer, Eternal Africa.
Executive producers are Aboyeji Iyinoluwa, Maro Mishael Amos, Duncan Ifijeh and Onyeka Nwelue, for Future Africa Media, 28 Studios, OIG Entertainment and Blues & Hills Pictures Ltd.
Associate producers are: Whittmey Aboyeji, Odinaka Jeff Nwelue, Iloegbunam Ebuka Ifeanyi, Kayode Adegbola, David Lanre Messan and Benjamin Rouse of Resolve Films.
