The new biopic movie “Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti,” which tells the life story of the activist, is now the highest-grossing biopic ever made in West Africa. Within the first 12 days of its release in theaters, this film raked in approximately 108 million Naira at the box office.
On Monday afternoon, June 03, 2024, the public learned about this incredible accomplishment through the Nigeria Box Office’s (NBO) official social media account.
On May 17, 2024, selected Nigerian theaters showed the biopic The Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, which tells the story of the life and times of the well-known campaigner and mother of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti.
At the 12th edition of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), this biographical film, which starred Joke Silva as the Older Funmilayo, Kehinde Bankole as the Funmilayo, and Iyimide Ayo-Olumoko as the Younger Funmilayo, took home the awards for Best Overall Feature Film and Best Screenplay.
Bolanle Austen-Peters, the film’s director, traces the life of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, starting with her early years as the first female student at Abeokuta Grammar School, to her marriage and meeting with Israel Ransome-Kuti, her work as an educator, and the founding of the Abeokuta Women’s Union (formerly known as the Abeokuta Ladies’ Club), which sparked a rebellion against patriarchy and colonial rule.
