Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have secured the North American rights to first-time filmmaker Anthony Onah’s drama, The Price, which was originally titled Dara Ju. It’s  based on his short film, also titled Dara Ju. 

The film first premiered at SWSW this year (as Dara Ju).  It was nominated for the SXSW Grand Jury award. The film, which follows a young Nigerian-American working on Wall Street, seems him navigating family expectations, romance and other complications caused by race and class. With his father dying, a romance with his white girlfriend and new business opportunities, his life is now in a balance and secrets threaten to ruin it all as he must face his past to rescue his present.

Reviewing the film upon it’s premiere at SXSW, Shadow & Act film critic Aramide A. Tinubu said, “Dara Ju is a film about pain, the pressure to flourish in the fast-paced 21st century while balancing self and traditional values, as well as a deep-seated betrayal that can’t be hidden under a fancy job title, fat bank account or token white girl. In the face of familial obligations, work responsibilities and constant racist micro-aggressions, Seyi cannot hope to maintain the façade that he has placed in front of his true self. After all, we cannot truly hide from the things we would rather brush under the rug; they will always find a way to seep back out, choking us from the inside until we deal with them head-on.”

The Price was written and directed by Anthony Onah. The film is produced by Justin Begnaud, Kishori Rajan and Anthony Onah. Executive producers are Tom Dolby, Susanne Filkins, Abdi Nazemian, Lynda Weinman, Jennifer 8. Lee, Greg Brockman, Peter Hess Friedland, Aston Motes and Daniel Davila.