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Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman is a 2022 Yoruba historical drama film directed by Biyi Bandele and distributed by Netflix, based on Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman, a stage play he wrote while in Cambridge, where he was a fellow at Churchill College during his political exile from Nigeria,[1] and it is based on a real incident that took place in Yorubaland during British Colonial rule.[2][3] The film stars Odunlade Adekola as the titular character, with Shaffy Bello, Brymo, Deyemi Okanlawon, Omowunmi Dada, Jide Kosoko, Langley Kirkwood, Joke Silva amongst others in supporting roles.

Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman
Directed by	Biyi Bandele
Screenplay by	Biyi Bandele (translated into Yoruba by Kola Tubosun)
Based on	Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka
Produced by	Mo Abudu Quinty Pillay Heidi Uys Adeola Osunkojo Judith Audu James Amuta
Starring	Odunlade Adekola Shaffy Bello Olawale Ibrahim Ashimi Deyemi Okanlawon Omowunmi Dada Jide Kosoko Kevin Ushi Jenny Stead Mark Elderkin Langley Kirkwood Taiwo Ajai-Lycett Joke Silva
Production companies	Ebonylife TV Netflix
Distributed by	Netflix
Release dates	9 September 2022 (2022-09-09) (2022 Toronto International Film Festival) 28 October 2022 (2022-10-28) (Nigeria) 4 November 2022 (2022-11-04) (Netflix)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	Nigeria
Languages	Yoruba English

Plot

The film is based on a true story and is set in the 1940s Oyo Town, southwestern Nigeria. The king has just died, and as tradition demands Elesin Oba must perform ritual suicide in order to join his dead king in the afterlife so that the king may gain free passage into the land of the gods, thus blocking disaster from befalling the community.[4] Elesin Oba's sexual appetites cause him to shirk, which leads to a mortal confrontation with the British and with devastating consequences. When the horseman is unable to fulfill his final responsibility, his ghost wanders the earth, spelling calamity for the land and its people.[5]

Cast

• Odunlade Adekola
• Shaffy Bello
• Ọlawale Ọlọfọrọ (Brymo)[6]
• Deyemi Okanlawon
• Omowunmi Dada[7]
• Jide Kosoko
• Kevin Ushi
• Jenny Stead
• Mark Elderkin
• Langley Kirkwood
• Taiwo Ajai-Lycett
• Joke Silva

Production

The film is co-produced by Ebonylife TV Studio and Netflix and is adapted for screen and directed by Biyi Bandele.[8][9][10] The screenplay was translated into Yorùbá and the film subsequently subtitled into English by Nigerian linguist Kola Tubosun, a decision described as "one of [the film's] more ticklish conceits" [11] and “the only way to make the film immediately accessible to a global audience.”[12] The movie premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on 9 September 2022 [13][14] and was released in Nigerian cinemas on 28 October 2022 followed by a Netflix release on 4 November.[15]

It is Soyinka's first work to be made into a motion picture since the 1970s film Kongi's Harvest by Ossie Davies, and will be the first Yoruba-language film to premiere at TIFF.[5][16] The director, Biyi Bandele, passed away shortly before the movie's premiere, in August 2022.[17]

References

External links

• "Elesin Oba (The King's Horseman)", IMDb.

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