Released in 2015, Beasts of No Nation is loosely based on the true events of child soldiers and civil wars that happened in Africa, and although it was filmed in Ghana, the chain of events that took place in this movie was in an unnamed country. At first i didn't know what to make of this movie when i heard about it, as it is an American movie, set in Africa, and directed by an American Japanese by the name of Cary Fukunaga, who decided to make the movie after he came across a novel of the same name, written by Uzodinma Iweala, an author and physician who hails from Nigeria. I was a bit sceptical at first of how Fukunaga's adaptation of the novel would be, but after watching this movie i was pleasantly surprised by the in depth storyline and great acting by Idris Elba who played the rebel leader 'Commandant' and another great performance was by the young actor Abraham Attah who played 'Agu' the child soldier, a role he won awards for, the 14 year old first time actor is a natural talent.
Director
Synopsis and trailer
A drama based on the experience of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed country.
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Starring: Idris Elba, Kurt Egyiawan, Abraham Attah, Opeyemi Fagbohungbe
Adapted from: Beasts of No Nation (by Uzodinma Iweala)
This movie took me by surprise because it was actually a well directed and edited comedy storyline by Kingsley Ogoro, that had me laughing out loud, i was not really a big advocate of films from Nigeria until this 2003 release. Osuofia in London stood out from the long list of uncreatively boring stories and almost painful to watch movies since the boom of Nollywood (Nigeria's own equivelant to Hollywood) in the 1990s and 2000s. The movie was filmed on location in Nigeria and London, England, and stars the comedy actor Nkem Owoh,who played the hilariously entertaining lead role of Osuofia, which tells the story of a country bumkin (bushman) who travels from a small village in Nigeria to the very different city of London, England. Osuofia's character was already funny in his own village, then on arrival in London, the interactions with his new surroundings made this movie even more humorous. Osuofia in London was the first Nigerian movie that really caught my attention, when i watched it, i saw hope for Nollywood, and sure enough many movies have improved a lot since, andNigeria’s film industry is currently ranked as the 2nd largest film industry in the world (after India) based on the number of films released per annum and it is worth over US $ 3.5 billion.
Synopsis and trailer
The eponymous Osuofia arrives in London straight from his village in Africa. He has inherited the vast estate of his deceased brother who left the village years before and amassed a business fortune in London.
Director:Kingsley Ogoro
Produced by: Kingsley Ogoro
Written by: Kingsley Ogoro
Cast:Nkem Owoh, Francis Odega, Mara Derwent, Cynthia Okereke, Charles Angiama, Sebastian Hall, Victoria Summers
Njinga, Rainha de Angola (Nzinga, Queen of Angola) is the 2013 movie about the true story of a leader, warrior and queen, who fought against the Portuguese and their expanding slave trade in Central Africa. This movie was very well directed with a good cast, custumes and breathtaking scenes that pulls the viewer into the moment. Directed by the portuguese director Sergio Graciano, and starring Miss Angola 2008 (Lesliana Pereira) in lead role, who by the way does a excellent job in bringing the character to life, in which lead to her role being nominated for a best actress award in 2015. The story of Queen Njinga alone makes this a worthwhile watch as a part of African history, something that the people of African descent can be proud of rather than the American slave movies that we so often see and i personally grew tired of. This movie is a captivating adventure of epic proportion that everybody, not just Africans should watch.
Synopsis and trailer
In 17th century Angola, a woman leads her kingdom in a 40-year struggle for freedom and independence. Her name is Njinga. She will be known as Queen Njinga. Born into a patriarchal society, Njinga defied tradition to become queen at the age of 50 with the aim of ensuring her people were kept safe from the Portuguese slave traders. A true story of unrivalled determination, Njinga stands today as a symbol of resistance, fully embodying the motto: “those who fight, fight to win”.
Lesliana Pereira
The lead role was played by Lesliana Pereira the Angolan beauty queen who represented Angola in Miss Universe 2008. Lesliana is also a model, T.V presenter and fashionista.
Lesliana in character as Queen Njinga
More on the story of Queen Njinga
Queen Njinga (1583-1663) Also known as Ana de Sousa Njinga Mbande was a 17th
century queen of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of
the Mbundu people in Angola, South West Africa. As ruler of Matamba, She was a military leader who waged war against the Portuguese,European invaders and inspired other African leaders to join in the resistance. Njinga was born to Ngola (ruler) Kiluanji and Kangela in 1583. According to tradition, she was named Njinga because her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck (the Kimbundu verb kujinga means to twist or turn). It was said to be an indication that the person who had this characteristic would be proud and haughty. According to her recollections later in life, she was greatly favored by her father, who allowed her to witness as he governed his kingdom, and who carried her with him to war. She also had a brother, Ngola Mbandi and two sisters Kifunji and Mukambu. She lived during a period when the Atlantic slave trade and the consolidation of power by the Portuguese in the region were growing rapidly. Njinga first appears in the historical record as the envoy of her brother, the Ngola (the ruler), Ngola Mbande, at a peace conference with the Portuguese governor João Correia de Sousa in Luanda in 1622.
Released in 2015, Beasts of No Nation is loosely based on the true events of child soldiers and civil wars that happened in Africa, and although it was filmed in Ghana, the chain of events that took place in this movie was in an unnamed country. At first i didn't know what to make of this movie when i heard about it, as it is an American movie, set in Africa, and directed by an American Japanese by the name of Cary Fukunaga, who decided to make the movie after he came across a novel of the same name, written by Uzodinma Iweala, an author and physician who hails from Nigeria. I was a bit sceptical at first of how Fukunaga's adaptation of the novel would be, but after watching this movie i was pleasantly surprised by the in depth storyline and great acting by Idris Elba who played the rebel leader 'Commandant' and another great performance was by the young actor Abraham Attah who played 'Agu' the child soldier, a role he won awards for, the 14 year old first time actor is a natural talent. 
