Segilola Ogidan has wrapped principal photography on The I.C.U., a high-stakes psychological thriller inspired by a deeply personal near-death experience and marking her third feature as director.
The film, shot earlier this year in Lagos, is the first instalment in a planned The Hospital Chronicles trilogy and is being positioned for a theatrical release in early 2027, What Kept Me Up can exclusively reveal.
Set largely within the high-tension confines of a private intensive care unit, The I.C.U. is a female-led story exploring grief, institutional power, bodily autonomy and survival under extreme pressure.
Oyemen Ehikhamhen, making her Nollywood debut, leads the film as Bukky, a woman admitted to the intensive care unit of a prestigious Lagos hospital following a severe miscarriage. While undergoing treatment, she uncovers what the film’s official logline describes as an organ trafficking operation operating within the facility and must fight to survive.
Alongside Ehikhamhen, the cast includes Ozzy Agu (Over The Bridge) as Bukky’s husband; Demola Adedoyin (Breath of Life) as the clinic’s physician; Michelle Dede (Ms Kanyin) as an enigmatic figure manipulating patient care behind the scenes; Temi Ami-Williams (Eyimofe) as an ICU nurse; Bucci Franklin, who won Best Supporting Actor at the 2026 AMVCA for To Kill a Monkey, as the authoritative head of the hospital; Kadaria Ahmed (The Men’s Club), one of Nigeria’s most prominent broadcast journalists, making her feature film debut as an influential high-society figure; and Tina Mba (Breaded Life) as Bukky’s mother.
Other cast members include Etta Jomo Maria (Cheta’M) and Kamo State (Star Lomo), with the latter lending his comedic voice to the story.
For Ogidan, the film draws directly from her own experience of miscarriage and intensive care treatment at a Nigerian hospital.
“The genesis of The Hospital Chronicles: The I.C.U. stems from a deeply personal, near-death experience,” the filmmaker said in a director’s statement. “Following a horrific miscarriage in a prominent Nigerian hospital, I spent a month in intensive care facing severe medical negligence, paralyzing fear, and the quiet terror of my own mortality.”
She described the project as “a cinematic response to that trauma,” using the visual language of psychological thrillers and German Expressionism, including sharp contrasts, looming shadows and disorienting compositions, to place audiences inside Bukky’s fight for survival.
“This film is fundamentally about what happens when people are pushed to their absolute limits in spaces meant for healing,” Ogidan added.
Produced under Ogidan’s Rehovot Studios banner and Altreel Media, The I.C.U. is produced by Boma Akpore, with Chiamaka Ezenwa serving as creative producer. Ezenwa and Ogidan are executive producers, while Ogidan and Kay Ugwuzor (Tinsel) are credited as writers.
Other key crew members include first assistant director Joan Inegbe (The Stone Drew Ripples), costume designer Jude Ezomoh and art director Leo Omoseebi (Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti).
The I.C.U. follows Ogidan’s previous directing efforts, including Tainted Canvas (which won AFRIFF Special Jury Prize for Best Feature), and A Romantic Comedy Featuring Lara and Tobi. Also known for her work in front of the camera, her acting credits include A Naija Christmas and Over the Bridge.
Ezenwa, who previously served as an executive producer on Tainted Canvas, is the founder of Altreel Media, a development and production company focused on Nigerian and African stories.
Akpore’s production credits include Shaping Us, What’s the Big Deal About Marriage, This Is Not a Nollywood Movie and Unboxed Review Show.
The I.C.U. is slated for theatrical release in early 2027.
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