Nigeria's movie industry continues to grow as it penetrates different African markets and resonates with the diaspora; as you know, with growth comes new voices and a new generation of creatives who are eager, vast, and ready to take center stage. One of such people to watch out for is Bolu Essien, who has taken on the reins of creating, writing, producing, and co-directing her first TV Series titled: Becoming Abi, which will be airing on Netflix globally from October 28, 2022.
Credit (Evolving Light Studios)
Becoming Abi is a 6-part dramedy series inspired and loosely based on Bolu Essien’s experiences while working in one of Nigeria's most prestigious digital advertising agencies. The well-told story explores themes such as love, betrayal, office politicking, career growth, and everything in between the business of building and scaling in the ever-demanding advertising industry. Though this is her first long-form content, Bolu’s creativity cannot be denied and with Becoming Abi being licensed exclusively to Netflix for a worldwide release, we can only imagine where the journey goes from here. The series stars Bolu Essien playing the titular character Abi, industry veterans like Idowu Philips (aka Iya Rainbow), Biodun Stephen, Stan Nze, Akah Nnani, Seun Ajayi, Juliana Olayode, Ifeanyi Kalu, and other extraordinary talents like Olu Salako, Opeyemi Akintunde, Benita A Okojie, and so many more. Click here to watch the official teaser https://youtu.be/jK7E3k8c2ow
When Bolu who trained at the Identity School of Acting, UK was asked about the project she said, "My inspiration comes from God, and that is how I get inspired to write stories that are either based on personal experience or simply fictional. This of course was inspired by my corporate career and it’s an exploration of what it looks like working as a professional in Nigeria. We spoke to a couple of brands and luckily Gala, Glover, Supa Komando, and Essenza supported us. I was very particular about directing this in the exact tone I wanted it to be, drama with a hint of realistic comedy, and when it’s downright unrealistic, you can tell that it’s Abi’s mind playing tricks on her. At Evolving Light studios, we want to tell unique and relatable stories, and platforms like Netflix allow us to show the world what we are capable of. There are many other Series, Game shows, Animation, Films, Scripted and Non-scripted programming ideas that my partner and I are developing, and we are so excited for all that is to come." When you hear Bolu Essien or Evolving Light Studios, the words that will come to mind are exciting stories being told creatively to drive impact. "We want my projects to make you take decisions, ask questions, strive to do better, smile, cry, love... in all, you will have an experience; that is what filmmaking is to us at Evolving Light Studios," Bolu added.
In line with her vision to tell stories of impact, Bolu’s short film “Things That Broke Us” has been airing on DSTV since 2021 till date. Also, her very emotional and exceedingly insightful documentary "Scars of Honour" which focused on the de-stigmatization of Caesarean Section childbirths in Nigeria, has spearheaded conversations around the subject since the trailer dropped earlier this year and later premiered at a private viewing in Lagos.
And now, we look forward to Becoming Abi, Bolu Essien’s first global debut as a Show creator, Writer, Co-director, and Producer on Netflix this October. Save the Date – October 28, 2022.
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