Abeni
DirectorTunde Kelani
WriterYinka Ogun
François Okioh
StarringJide Kosoko
Kareem Adepoju
Abdel Amzat
Bukky Wright
StudioDove Media, Laha Productions
Mainframe Film and Television Production
DistributorMainframe Film and Television Productions
ReleasedMarch 31, 2006
Runtime98 minutes
CountryNigeria
Benin
LanguageYoruba
French

Abeni is a two-part 2007 Nigerian-Beninese romance film produced and directed by Tunde Kelani.[1][2] It depicts the social divide that occurs as a result of colonialism despite the geographical proximity between Benin and Nigeria.[3]

Plot

Abeni follows the story of the eponymous Abeni who was born with a silver spoon. She meets Akanni who hails from a more modest background. They are engaged to be married to other people but their meeting changes the course of already set plans.

Cast

  • Kareem Adepoju as Baba Wande
  • Abdel Hakim Amzat as Akanni
  • Sola Asedeko as Abeni
  • Samuel Ajirebi
  • Jide Kosoko as Abeni's father
  • Bukky Wright
  • Idowu Philips
  • Ayo Badmus
  • Moufoutaou Akadiri
  • Aboh M. Akinocho

Production and release

Abeni was set in Yoruba-speaking areas of Nigeria and Cotonu. It employed the methods of Code-Switching, Code-Mixing and Code-Conflicting as it involved two languages and depicts how the characters overcame language barrier by paying close attention and employing the use of gesticulations.[2][4]

It was a joint production between Mainframe Film and Television Productions and Laha Productions.[5] It was released on 31 March 2006 with physical copies selling in post offices, banks and fast food joints.[6]

Critical reception

In a review for The Nation, Victor Akande wrote "With hilarious sub-plots woven through the core story of love lust and regains, this is a fascinating portrait of the Yoruba urban middle class that flows between Nigeria and Republic of Benin."[1]

The film was nominated in 11 categories at the 3rd Africa Movie Academy Awards and won in 2 of the categories.[7]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2007Africa Movie Academy AwardsBest Sound[7]
Best Film in an African Language
Best Nigerian Film
Best Cinematography
Best Indigenous Film
Best Performance by Child - Samuel Olaseinde
Best Edit
Best Upcoming Artiste - Amzat Abdel Hakim
Best Actress in Supporting Role - Noelie Funmi Agbendegba
Best Director - Tunde Kelani
Best Picture
Nigerian Movie Awards[1]

References

  1. ^ Akande, Victor (2007-04-28). "Movie Review: Abeni". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2014-10-31. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  2. ^ Iyiola, Amos Damilare (2021-01-17). "Code-Switching, Code-Mixing and Code-Conflicting in Abeni by Tunde Kelani". KIU Journal of Humanities. 5 (4): 169–174. ISSN 2522-2821
  3. ^ Ogunleye, Foluke (2014-03-17). African Film: Looking Back and Looking Forward. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4438-5749-9.
  4. ^ Soetan, Olusegun (2019-01-01). "The Hearthstone: Language, Culture, and Politics in the Films of Tunde Kelani.". Polymath: An Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Journal. 8 (2): 1–26. ISSN 2153-4314. Archived from the original on 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  5. ^ Afolabi, Omoniyi (2011). "Yoruba Films By Tunde Kelani: Primary Cultural And Linguistic Data Collection". Archived from the original on 2021-10-14. Retrieved 2021-07-11. – via Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning (COERLL) at the University of Texas at Austin.
  6. ^ "Abeni... love across borders". Nigerian Voice. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  7. ^ "Africa Celebrates Film Industry at AMAA 2007 - Mshale News". 2012-03-03. Archived 2012-03-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-07-11.

Further reading