Badamasi
Directed byObi Emelonye
Written byObi Emelonye
StarringEnyinna Nwigwe
CinematographyAbiola Oke
Release date
  • 12 June 2021 (2021-06-12) (London)
Running time
135 minutes
CountriesNigeria
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Badamasi: Portrait of a General is a biopic about former Nigerian head of state, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB). It was directed by Obi Emelonye and stars Enyinna Nwigwe in the lead role as Babangida.[1] It is the first Nollywood political biopic.[2]

Plot

Badamasi tells the story of Babangida from his origins in the village of Wushishi in Northern Nigeria to his joining the army and time as a Nigerian military head of state. It also portrays significant events in Babangida's life including the period of the Nigerian civil war where Babangida sustains injuries in an attempt to rescue a colleague. The subsequent military coups and annulment of the June 1993 presidential elections were also portrayed.[2][3]

Cast

Production and release

Production for Badamasi commenced in 2017.[4] The film is set in 1980/1990s Nigeria[4] and was shot on location in Lagos, Minna, Abuja and the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka.[1] The film director told a Pulse Nigeria interviewer that it took him 4 years to convince Babangida to allow him make the biopic. The film was initially billed for a 29 November 2019 release date but was delayed due to reported "powerful people" who were against the circulation of the film.[5] There were concerns that the biopic might be an attempt to whitewash Babangida's story as the annulment of the June 1993 presidential elections earned Babangida condemnation.[2] The first look trailer was released in September 2019.[2] Badamasi premiered at the Cineworld O2 Arena in South London on 12 June 2021.[3]

Critical reception

A reviewer for The Guardian praised the film for its production and attention to technical details noting that "It did not ‘feel’ like Nollywood" and was in keeping with Obi Emelonye's other films including Heart 2 Heart, The Mirror Boy, Last Flight to Abuja and Onye Ozi.[3]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref
2020 Africa Movie Academy Awards Best Actor in a Leading Pole Enyinna Nwigwe Nominated [6]
Best Visual Effects Badamasi Nominated
2021 Best of Nollywood Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role (English) Enyinna Nwigwe Nominated [7]
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (English) Sani Danja Nominated
Movie with the Best Special Effect Badamasi Nominated
Movie with the Best Production Design Nominated
Movie with the Best Cinematography Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 Kenechukwu, Stephen (2021-05-07). "'Badamasi', film starring Enyinna Nwigwe as Babangida, to debut June 12". TheCable Lifestyle. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Okechukwu, Daniel (2019-10-04). "Badamasi Trailer: First Look of Enyinna Nwigwe as Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida". The Culture Custodian (Est. 2014.). Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  3. 1 2 3 Adeyemi, Sola (2021-06-16). "Emelonye's lens on Portrait of a General". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Archived from the original on 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  4. 1 2 "Obi Emelonye ready with IBB film, Badamasi". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  5. ↑ Nwogu, Precious (2021-05-07). "'Badamasi' to premiere in cinemas". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  6. ↑ "'Knuckle City', 'The Milkmaid' lead AMAA 2020 nominations [Full List]". Pulse Nigeria. 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  7. ↑ "BON Awards unveils 2021 list of nominees -". The Eagle Online. 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
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