AFRIFF ’23 Announces Revenge Thriller ‘Orah’ as Opening Film

The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) has announced Orah, a revenge thriller by Nigerian-Canadian filmmaker, Lonzo Nzekwe, as the opening gala night film of its 12th edition in November 2023.

The film is a story of a taxi driver in Canada on a path of vengeance against a Nigerian drug-trafficking ring responsible for her son’s death.

Written and directed by Nzekwe, Orah was developed over the course of 11 years and fully became a revenge thriller after his brother died from the stray bullet of an officer of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), now defunct, in 2016.

Nzekwe said he set out to create a tragically gripping crime thriller that gives the audience an authentic experience into the life of its main character and her campaign of vengeance.

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Orah, co-produced by Floyd Kane and Amos Adetuyi, will unfold before invited guests at AFRIFF’s opening gala night on November 5, a festival whose founder and director, Chioma Ude, has promised will platform indigenous projects.

She noted during the announcement of Orah as opening film on Thursday, October 26 that its pick is strategic for the festival’s vision.

The film was shot in Canada and Nigeria in late 2022 and screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.

It was produced by Circle Blue Entertainment and Freddie Films in association with IronFlix Inc., with the participation of Telefilm Canada, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), and ONCreates Film Fund; and Level Film as the Canadian distributor.

The theme of this year’s AFRIFF is Indigenous 2.0 Global and the festival will run from November 5 to November 11, exhibiting dozens of films.