Author: Seyi Lasisi

EXCLUSIVE: Whenever I visit the cinema, I am always accompanied by a pen and a book, for note-taking duty. Film criticism has made me an obsessive note taker. As audiences – satisfied or nagging, slouch out of the cinema room, I recline in my seat, with my writing materials ready, I await the credit list to start its procession. My duty as a conduit of information, as a film critic, compels this sense of attention. I had gone to watch the Dare Olaitan-directed Ile Owo. As the credit rolled on, accompanied by the eerie musical score, I noticed a name.…

Unknown to princess Njinga, her ascension to the throne though littered with horrific acts would inspire on-screen retellings (the 2013 Angolan historical drama Njinga: Queen Of Angola and a Starz series, Queen Nzinga, in development) and importantly, her years and fame as the first female ruler (1624-1663) —which forms the base of African Queens: Njinga will cross the border of Ndongo (present-day Angola) to the world. It’s the 16th century —the century doubles as the starting point of the docuseries and it is notable for the encroachment of Africa by ships. Princess Njinga is on the verge of becoming the…

I am familiar— by reading news stories and listening to friends narrate their experiences, with the bizarre traits of our Men in Black: Nigerian Police Force. This ranges from their passionate pursuit of victims whose arrest would mean an increase of their account balance, to their worn-out attitude in pursuit of justice for the poor. My familiarity with their virtues incited in me an arm’s length distance from the Nigerian Police Force. Fortunately, for me, the feeling is mutual. Those are my fond memories of the Police Force and it was these memories amongst others that Crime and Justice Lagos…

My exams ended on December 9, 2022, and the S16 Film Festival started film screening on December 10, 2022. Ogun state is about 2 hours away from Lagos. But when you factor in the ever-present gridlock on Lagos roads, the trip might extend to 4 or 6 hours depending on the driver’s intimate understanding of unorthodox pathways. Leaving Ogun state by 8 am on Saturday meant I would, like almost all trained journalists, arrive earlier before the film screening commences. Man proposes, God disposes. The first feature on the schedule: Tunde Kelani’s ever-relevant Saworoide had almost begun screening when I…