The Man Died continues festival run

On the heels of its successful outing on October 5 at the Quramo Festival of Words, QFest 2024, in Lagos, The Man Died, the feature film inspired by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s prison notes, is continuing its run of the festival circuits across the world. Though yet to be formally released to the theatre or streaming platforms, the film, written by UK-based scriptwriter, Bode Asiyanbi, directed by Abu Dhabi, UAE-based Awam Amkpa (Prof) and produced by Lagos-based Femi Odugbemi for Zuri 24 Media, has been enjoying outings at key spaces, including at the Africa Centre in London in July.

The global tour of the film according to a release by the producers of the film is promoted by the Foundation for the Promotion of Documentary Film in Africa, conveners of the irepresent Documentary Film Forum and promoters of the yearly IREP International Documentary Film Festival. Before hitting the global circuits, however, The Man Died, which stars a galaxy of renowned and notable names in the Nigeria film industry, is being considered for special screenings at educational institutions in Florence, Italy; Abu Dhabi in the UAE; Jo’Burg, South Africa as well at Ivy League institutions in the USA, including New York University; Harvard University; Oxford University; and at Ithaca College, among others.

The October 5 screening to an over-filled house of appreciative audience at the grand ballroom of Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos, was the third outing since July 12 when the film had a “special premiere screening” at the Alliance Francaise, Michael Adenuga Centre in Ikoyi to symbolically mark the 90th birthday anniversary (July 13) celebration of the Nobel laureate. Produced by Zuri 24 Media, The Man Died, according to the synopsis on its website — www.themandiedmovie.com — is the story of Wole Soyinka’s 27 months incarceration by the Nigerian government in 1967 at the cusp of the civil war. He was famously seeking a truce between Biafra and the Federal Government to allow time for a negotiated settlement of the conflict. It is fundamentally a personal account. Essentially, the subject found refuge from the brutality inflicted upon him by retreating into and living within his own mind. At times, he drifted about the frontiers of madness, hanging on to himself by a thread. At other times, he pondered, listened, and watched, like only the truly otherwise unoccupied can. Importantly, he managed to scrounge paper and a pencil from time to time and record his journey of ‘motionlessness.”

The movies tour outline includes gracing the screen on October 11 on the Accra Streamfest bill of the Labone Dialogues 2.0, hosted by New York University, NYU Accra. After Ghana, The Man Died will continue its tour by gracing the screen of Film Africa Festival in London on October 27.  Next stop for the film will be at the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, ENIFF in Enugu, November 27 to 30, where it will be the Opening Film at the Viva Cinemas, Enugu on November 27. The film is expected to screen at the African International Film Festival, AFRIFF starting November 3 through to November 7. Other itineraries for the film are being collated, according to the iREP programme directorate.