Actress Omowunmi Dada has revealed why the team behind the upcoming film “Black Market” chose to pursue a Guinness World Record instead of holding a traditional premiere.
Directed by Fatimah Binta-Gimsay, the film follows five women involved in cross-border smuggling during a period of fuel scarcity. Their lives take a dramatic turn when one of their daughters is kidnapped.
The film features Dada alongside Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Lateef Adedimeji, Scarlet Gomez, Teniola Aladese, Susan Pwajok, Uzor Arukwe, and other notable actors.
The producers will screen the film at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, on September 26, in a bid to set a Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a single-location film screening.
Dada, who also serves as the film’s executive producer, said the initiative aims to create an experience that surpasses a conventional premiere while making a wider cultural statement.
She said “we just thought, instead of the regular ‘take your film to the cinema’, let’s do something more iconic with it, something that goes beyond Nollywood, something that is a cultural statement, not just for Lagos, not just for Nigerian creatives, but for young people and Nigerians as a whole.”
READ ALSO: Lagos Government Backs ‘Black Market’ Film Premiere
Reflecting on the production journey, Dada described it as stressful yet rewarding, adding that the Guinness World Record attempt had been part of the project’s plan from the outset.
She said “the journey so far has been stressful. From the writing and back and forth, making sure we get the best script, to pre-production itself and bringing actors on board, it’s been such a tough journey, but it’s been a very beautiful one. Thanks to the team that we have, all the cast and crew. We are grateful to Nigerians and everyone who has been supporting us.”
According to Dada, the story will resonate with Nigerians. They will love, laugh, maybe cry as well. They will have a great time watching the film. But beyond the film, the whole experience will be an unforgettable one.
“We thought, as filmmakers, the best way to put Nigeria on the global map would be through our craft, and that was why we decided to do this, to go for a Guinness World Record attempt with our film,” Dada stated.
Dada also expressed confidence that the story would resonate with Nigerian audiences, adding that the overall experience surrounding the screening would be just as significant as the film itself.
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