Oba
2024 · 11m · UK
Directed by Femi Oladigbolu
Tones: mythic, surreal, theatrical
In an Afrofuturist future, the King of a prominent Nigerian village has died and the Kingmakers select an unsuspecting boy from South London to ascend the throne. A fantasy exploring destiny, lineage, and the tension between Nigerian heritage and British identity.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Afrofuturist Yoruba kingmaker fantasy with a Dune comp and an 82-page pre-production deck — shot in three days. The ambition outpaces the budget and that's usually how I like it; willing to be surprised.
Afrofuturist succession narrative routed through South London to a Nigerian throne — Oladigbolu citing Villeneuve, working with Somesuch and Samuel Adewunmi, with an 82-page pre-production deck for three shoot days. The ambition outpaces the runtime, which is what proof-of-concept shorts should do.
Three-day shoot in East London with an 82-page pre-production deck and Dune cited as a creative reference — that's a lot of world-building ambition compressed into 11 minutes. The Afrofuturist-Nigerian-South-London triangulation is the angle, but the runtime makes it a proof of concept.
Reviews
A strikingly original film with meticulous costume design, strategic location choices, nuanced performances, and atmospheric scoring.