Spotlight on stars of Jude Idada’s thriller, KOFA

The follow spotlight is on some of the amazingly talented cast of the brilliant movie by Jude Idada titled KOFA. The beautifully acted and amazingly shot and well helmed movie is an engaging psychological thriller about a group of eight people in their underwear who wake up to find themselves locked in a room. All they remember are their names.

As an armed man comes in to pick them out, one after the other, they struggle to remember who they are, where they are and why they are there in order to marshal out a plan, evade the armed man and escape.

Written, directed, and produced by Jude Idada alongside a producing team of Chibuzo ‘Chibie’ Louis-Okoye, Femi D Ogunsanwo, and Steve Sodiya, KOFA won the coveted award of Best Film at the Globe Awards of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) 2022. The film also took home the awards for Best Screenplay for Jude Idada and Best Actor award for Daniel Etim-Effiong out of the six nominations it received.

Strong story and great acting, the actors that Idada pulled for the movie ‘stole’ the movie with their performance. Moviedom salutes some of them— Daniel Etim Effiong, Ijeoma Grace Agu, Beverly Naya, Zainab Balogun, and Enyinna Nwigwe— that contributed in giving the movie its acting credits.

Daniel Etim Effiong (Wale)
DANIEL Etim Effiong plays Wale in KOFA and the former oil and gas industry worker turned actor put up a delightful and believable performance as Wale. Indeed the AFRIFF jury was right to award Daniel the best actor award, because the star of Walter Banger thriller, Jolly Rogers, acquitted himself as an actor in KOFA.

Daniel imbued his role with real human pain and switched easily between twinkly compassion and frustration for those locked in the room with him. He gave his character a palpable physical solidity.

An actor and director who in 2017 directed a five-minute-long short film titled Prey, featuring Tope Tedela and Odenike Odetola, Daniel has grabbed a lot of screen credits. He featured alongside Kenya’s Sarah Hassan and Catherine Kamau Karanja in the 2019 movie Plan B. Director of the documentary by Beverly Naya titled Skin, the movie Plan B earned Daniel a nomination in the ‘Best Actor in a Comedy’ category at the 2020 AMVCA.

The Kaduna born Chemical Engineering graduate, who worked as content producer for Ndani Television, also earned an Africa Movie Academy Awards—AMAA nomination as leading actor for his role in Walter Banger’s Jolly Rogers.

Ijeoma Grace Agu (Nnenna)
NOTABLE actress Ijeoma Grace Agu had a good run as Nnenna in KOFA. The star of Oko Asewo (Taxi Driver), Hoodrush, Misfit, Swallow and Night Nurse showed stuff and put up a modulated performance that helped deepened the narrative.

Ijeoma is ever so reliable as an actress. Her depth of character interpretation earned her the 2022 AMAA award for best supporting actress. She got the award for living delightfully the role of Rose in Kunle Afolayan’s Swallow and she delivered on all counts.

Ijay, as the Biochemistry graduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka is simply called by close pals, came into limelight following her role in Hoodrush. The recipient of the 2014 Best of Nollywood Most Promising actress award rode on the back of Hoodrush to pick up several roles and still counting. KOFA (2022) and Night Nurse (2023) are her most recent movie runs.

Beverly Naya (Franka)
NOTABLE British-born Nigerian actress Beverly Naya featured as Franka in KOFA. Like the other actors, Beverly put up a believable performance and gave her character a palpable solidity.

Born Beverly Ifunaya Bassey, Beverly who signed a documentary film, Skin, in 2020 as producer, won Most Promising Talent at the 2010 Best of Nollywood Awards, as well as the Fast Rising Actress at the 2011 City People Entertainment Awards.

An actress who started her journey as an actress at 17 while studying Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology at Brunel University in Uxbridge, England, Beverly studied script writing and film-making at Roehampton University.

Zainab Balogun (Hauwa)
NOTABLE television show host and co-founder of ‘The J-ist TV’, an online entertainment web series that highlights African culture and a range of topical issues, Zainab Balogun, stars as Hauwa in KOFA. The British born Nigerian actress and model turned television presenter put up a delightful performance that expanded the movies emotional palette.

Blessed with beauty and brain, the native of Abeokuta in Ogun State who attended the University of Kent in Medway where she received a Bachelor of Law degree (LLB), has appeared in several shows including a 2012 Bollywood movie Cocktail, The Charlatans by Ashley Waters and a 2011 appearance in Christopher Nolan’s film, The Dark Knight Rises.

Back on home soil, the two-time winner of the Exquisite Lady of the Year (ELOY) award for television presentation (2013/2014) has featured in a couple of critically acclaimed movies including A Soldiers Story, the very successful The Wedding Party, Ojukokoro, The Wedding Party 2, The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, Sylva, Fine Wine, God Calling, Chief Daddy and Entreat.

Enyinna Nwigwe (Paul)
ALWAYS one to play the leading man, Eyinna Nwigwe featured as Paul in KOFA and as expected, the Economics graduate of the University of Calabar brought his ‘A’ game in interpreting the role.

A native of Ngor Ukpalla in Imo State, Enyinna best known for his performance in Paul Apel’s Eagles Wing, and in the box office hit The Wedding Party 1 & 2 has featured in a number of critically acclaimed movies including Black November, Hell or High Water, Living in Bondage: Breaking Free, Red Code, Cold Feet and the biopic on former Nigerian ruler Ibrahim Babangida titled Badamasi.