Top Nigerian celebs came out in their numbers for the Lagos premiere of the highly anticipated Hollywood movie, The Woman King.
Nollywood’s Iyabo Ojo, celebrity stylist Toyin Lawani and evicted BBNaija Level Up housemates, among other superstars, attended the premiere and Africanglitznews.com has compiled some photos and videos that highlight interesting moments at the star-studded event.
The highly anticipated Hollywood movie, The Woman King, had its Lagos premiere over the weekend, and it was indeed a carnival of sorts. The American Epic movie, which features Viola Davis alongside Nigeria’s John Boyega and Jimmy Odukoya, tells the story of black female warriors of the Dahomey Kingdom.
The Woman King is a 2022 American historical epic film about the Agojie, the all-female warrior unit who protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. The film stars Viola Davis as a general who trains the next generation of warriors to fight their enemies. It is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and written by Dana Stevens, based on a story she wrote with Maria Bello. The film also stars Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega.
Bello conceived the idea for The Woman King in 2015 after visiting Benin, where Dahomey used to be located, and learning the history of the Agojie. Convinced she had found a story worth telling, she recruited Cathy Schulman to develop it into a feature film. They pitched it to several studios, who turned it down due to financial concerns. In 2017, they met with TriStar Pictures; the company would eventually give the film the green-light in 2020. Prince-Bythewood, inspired by epic films like Braveheart (1995), Gladiator (2000), and The Last of the Mohicans (1992), prioritized realism in the fight scenes. Production began in South Africa in November 2021, shut down due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant a few weeks later, and resumed in early 2022. Polly Morgan was the cinematographer. During post-production, the musical score was composed by Terence Blanchard and editing was completed by Terilyn A. Shropshire.
The Woman King had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2022, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 16, 2022, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The Woman King received critical acclaim, with critics praising its direction, fight choreography, production design, and performances.
As expected, the Lagos premiere was massively attended, with top Nigerian movie stars showing up in impressive costumes that made them appear like warriors.
Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo left social media users gushing as she showed up in an outfit designed by celebrity stylist, Toyin Lawani.
Toyin Lawani who styled several celebs also made sure to show up to the premiere in style.
Check out a photo of the designer below:
Evicted BBNaija Level Up housemates Khalid and Modella also graced the film premiere and kept to the theme of the night.
See Their Videos
See Modella
Also spotted at the premiere, BBNaija’s Anto Lecky and media personality Uti Nwachukwu were a delight to watch on the red carpet.
Spot Uti showing off in his lovely costume below:
