Nollywood packs Lekki for the premiere of ‘19’

Nollywood turned out in force at Fame, Lekki, on Sunday for the Nigerian premiere of 19, Tola Odunsi’s crime drama, ahead of its nationwide cinema run. The carpet was a census of the industry: Toyin Abraham, Kunle Afolayan, Deyemi Okanlawon, Wale Ojo, Linda Ejiofor, Femi Adebayo, Darey Art Alade and Kunle Remi among them.

The film, distributed by Nile Entertainment, is led by Stan Nze, Sola Sobowale, Bisola Aiyeola, Deyemi Okanlawon, William Benson and Ademola Adedoyin, with Boma Akpore, Helen Enado Odigie, Tayo Faniran and Charles Okafor in the wider ensemble. It opened in cinemas on 11 September.

Odunsi has described 19 as a story about the choices young Nigerians make in the chase for success — the shortcuts, the crews, the nights that do not end where they were supposed to. That is not a new theme in Lagos. It is, however, a live one. The room on Sunday treated it as such.

Cinema, for all the streaming noise, still has a night like this: a full house, a director in a good jacket, and an industry that likes to see itself on a carpet. Whether 19 converts the turnout into tickets is the only review that counts this week.