"’76," previously titled "Lions of ’76," is an upcoming Nigerian historical fiction drama film produced by Adonaija Owiriwa and Izu Ojukwu, and directed by Izu Ojukwu. It stars some of the more internationally-recognized actors in Nigerian cinema, like Ramsey Nouah and Rita Dominic, as well as Chidi Mokeme, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Memry Savanhu, Adonijah Owuruwa, Daniel K. Daniel, Nelly Ekwereogu and Shuaibu Ebenehi Adams.
The story goes… Six years after the Nigerian civil war (also known as the Biafran War, 1967 – 1970, which was fought to counter the secession of Biafra from Nigeria), a young officer from the middle belt gets entangled in a romantic relationship with a beautiful student from the Southeastern part of Nigeria. Their budding romance is almost ruined by endless military postings. Now pregnant, the student’s walls come crumbling down when news of her husband’s involvement in a botched coup attempt hits the headlines.
The story is told from two points of view: that of the young pregnant student, and that of her husband, a soldier accused of being involved in the 1976 military coup and assassination of General Murtala Mohammed.
Filmed in Ibadan, and in production for five years, the project reportedly had to endure a lengthy seven-month vetting process by the Nigerian Military before filming could begin.
No release date set for "76" yet, in Nigeria or elsewhere, although I’d look for it in 2016 and beyond.
A first trailer for the film has been released, and, while it’s quite chaotic, and doesn’t do the best job of summarizing the story the film tells and teasing the viewer, I definitely like the look of some of the footage within it, and I hope that the filmmakers recut the trailer so that it properly sells the film. There could be a good movie here, but the trailer doesn’t sell it well. But, again, as I said, I like the look of some of the footage, and I like some of the actors in it (at least those whose work I’m most familiar with, like the star of the film, Ramsey Nouah), but the trailer needs work.
