HanWay Films will represent worldwide sales on the electrifying debut of Nigerian-born writer-director Olive Nwosu’s debut feature Lady, starring Jessica Gabriel's Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye and Seun Kuti. The film charts one young woman’s quest for sisterhood and freedom set in the sprawling African metropolis of Lagos and will play in the World Cinema Competition category at Sundance.
In the restless night of Lagos, one of the city’s few female cab drivers, Lady, survives by staying tough and focused. She dreams of escape, saving her earnings for a new life far from the chaos of this Nigerian metropolis. But when long-lost childhood friend, Pinky - now a sex worker - returns with a burst of colour and trouble, Lady is pulled reluctantly into her orbit. Soon she’s driving a crew of glamorous, reckless, fun-loving women through the underbelly of Lagos nightlife. What begins as judgement becomes unexpected sisterhood: wild, tender, and disarming.
Olive Nwosu is an alumna of the Sundance Lab. Authentically researched, director Nwosu spent time with Nigerian sex workers, and the film features a standout soundtrack of contemporary African jazz and dance music. Cast with local talent, Lady is an unmissable look at a fascinating world seldom glimpsed on the big screen.
A UK and Nigerian production, the film was developed with Film4, and financed by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding, Film4, and Screen Scotland, with additional support from Level Forward and Amplify Capital. Lady was produced by Ossian International, Alex Polunin’s production company based in Glasgow, Scotland, John Giwa-Amu for Good Gate and Stella Nwimo. Co-producers are Adé Sultan Sangodoyin & Jamiu Shoyode of Lagos-based Emperium Films.
Executive producers are Ama Ampadu for the BFI; David Kimbangi, Max Park, Ben Coren for Film4; Kieran Hannigan for Screen Scotland; Adrienne Becker, Brent Zachery, Abigail E. Disney for Level Forward; Demola Elebute, Oluseye Olusoga, Olufikayo Adeola for Amplify Capital; and Kamila Serkebaeva, and Daniel Staut.
The soundtrack of Lady tells the story of Nigerian and African music today, blending tracks from local Nigerian artists - including EDAOTO and Deto Black - and artists from the Nigerian diaspora (Lil Simz, Obongjayar and BANTU). The soundtrack draws from the roots of Nigerian Afrobeats, from the father himself - FELA KUTI - to young, contemporary interpretations of Nigerian rhythm, in CKay and Sounds of Ace.
The soundtrack was made in collaboration with Jumi Akinfenwa, a London-based, British-Nigerian, music supervisor, who was instrumental in scouring the deep history of Nigerian and African music and finding a tapestry of sounds that speaks to the rich culture of song and rhythm that has created what we know as AFROBEAT today.
Olive Nwosu said : “Lady is my love letter to the women of Lagos: a mythic portrait of joy, danger, and self-invention. I wanted to honour lives that cinema has too often overlooked, and to do it with the same integrity, care, and community that shaped the story itself. With this film, I set out to create a Lagos heroine worthy of the epic - flawed, luminous, and unafraid - and to show that African stories can carry scale, rigor, and true cinematic daring.”
Gabrielle Stewart, CEO HanWay Films said: "It is exciting to be supporting such a dynamic fresh talent, and we cannot wait for Sundance audiences to be transported to the Lagos of Lady and her sisterhood. LADY is certain to impact."
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Image credits: Still courtesy Hanway Films