The world is tapping into the talent of the African diaspora. This year, we’ve seen Afrobeats artists continuously top music charts, and now the same is happening for films associated with the continent.

The Black Book debuted on Netflix in September. The action thriller made history as the first Nigerian-made movie to land on the platform’s global Top 3. Produced by Anakle Films, The Black Book has made the top 10 lists in over 69 countries, and it has caught the attention of over 20 million viewers so far, according to Enspire.

The Black Book’s director, Editi Effiong, knew the film would be impactful due to its ability to pull at the viewers’ heartstrings.

The intense plot about Paul Edima, a deacon and former hitman who reverts to his old tactics to find justice for his son who was wrongfully slain by corrupt police officers, is the perfect setup for an emotional roller coaster.

“Every human has access to the basic emotions of love, happiness, joy, sadness and grief. But grief is an emotion on its own,” Effiong told Blavity.

He continued, “People don’t realize that [unless] grief is predicated by a thing not existent, and there’s a hole that can’t be filled. And everyone has those emotions.”

While The Black Book is Effiong’s first effort as a director, the former tech professional has honed his skills for bold reactions and visualizing grand scenes on movie sets in previous roles. He served as an executive producer on the 2018 drama Up North and the 2021 sci-fi adventure Day of Destiny.

“My style as a director is setting up a scene that I want you to be part of, whether I want you to be inside or outside of the scene,” he said.

Editi Effiong

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