You asked for it, it’s finally here.
Nigerian superstar actress Genevieve Nnaji (likely the most well-known performer of Nollywood, and considered something of a national treasure), makes her feature directorial debut with “Lionheart.” The drama follows the hurdles of an Igbo family and their ailing transportation business. Nnaji also stars as the competent but routinely overlooked daughter who must find a way to save the company, by working alongside her inept uncle. The film promises sharp and comical commentary on the dynamics of a middle-class Nigerian family. Western audiences will likely be most familiar with Nnaji from her appearance in the big-screen adaptation of “Half of a Yellow Sun” (2013), alongside Thandie Newton, John Boyega, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Dominic Cooper. Depending on how “Lionheart” is received at TIFF, where it’s making its world premiere, it very well could be the film that becomes her international breakthrough. She also appears in another TIFF 2018 selection, “Farming” from Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.
Nollywood Observer 