‘The Man Died’ in Chicago for African Diaspora Film Festival, June 13-15

* Also to screen at Washington DC iteration of the festival in August

By Editor

FRESH from its successful run at the 32nd African Film Festival New York, the feature film, The Man Died, returns to the American culture circuit, where it would feature as part of the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), Chicago, US holding June 13-15, a statement from Director/Co-Founder of iREP and Associate Producer of The Man Died, Jahman O. Anikulapo, has said.

Inspired by the prison notes of Africa’s first Nobel laureate in literature, Wole Soyinka, The Man Died, will be screened on June 15 at the FACETS, 1517 W Fullerton Avenue, Chicago at 3.30 pm. It is the 134-mins (longer) version of the film that will be screened. Other festivals where the film had featured – across three continents – on its current global tour had screened the shorter (105 mins) version.

After the screening, film’s director, trained-artist and professor of Art and Media at New York University, Abu Dhabi and NY, Awam Amkpa will have conversation with guests to the screening. This is the exact format adopted at the Luxor International film Festival (LAFF) in January, where it won the “Best Film that Treats an Important African Issue.”

In its invitation to the film producer, Femi Odugbemi of Zuri24 Media, the ADIFF directorate said it was inviting The Man Died to feature at both its Chicago and Washington DC iterations. Part of the invitation reads: “On behalf of the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), I am delighted to formally invite The Man Died, directed by Awam Amkpa, to screen at both ADIFF Chicago and ADIFF DC.” The Washington DC screening will hold in August.”

Before now, the film has had a great run in the American circuit, having been to the Pan African Film Festival, PAFF, Los Angeles, (February 4-17), Nollywood in Hollywood, California, (February 28 – March 1) and African Film Festival Atlanta (March 13-17 ).

A promo on the Chicago festival screening published by the directorate of ADIFF, Artmattan Productions, captures the film’s synopsis thus: “Based on the gripping true story of Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian literary giant who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. When his principled intervention to halt a burgeoning civil war is twisted into an act of rebellion, he finds himself unjustly incarcerated by the military regime. Inside the confines of his cell, his unwavering ideals are pushed to their breaking point as he fights to maintain his mental fortitude and stay alive… The Man Died is not just a personal story but a universal testament to the enduring power of truth and the necessity of standing up against tyranny. It is a poignant reminder that in the face of oppression, silence is not an option, and the human spirit can never truly be extinguished.”

Established in 1993, the Harlem-based minority-led not-for profit, ADIFF “presents, interprets and educates about films that explore the human experience of people of colour all over the world in order to inspire imaginations, disrupt stereotypes and help transform attitudes that perpetuate injustice.”

Other details in the invitation state: ADIFF Chicago: “We are thrilled to offer a screening slot for The Man Died at FACETS in Chicago, from June 13th to June 15th, 2024. We believe this powerful film aligns perfectly with ADIFF’s mission to showcase diverse and thought-provoking cinema from Africa and the African diaspora” and for ADIFF DC, it says, “We are also very pleased to invite The Man Died to screen at ADIFF DC, to be held at George Washington University in August… We see a strong potential audience for the film in Washington D.C. and are excited to bring it to this new venue.

“We would be particularly honored to explore the possibility of having the director, Awam Amkpa, attend the ADIFF Chicago screening. His presence, and the potential for a Q&A session with the audience, would significantly enhance the event and provide a valuable opportunity for engagement with the film’s themes.”

Written by the renowned UK-based screenwriter, Bode Asiyanbi, The Man Died stars a coterie of popular names on the Nigerian screen, including Wale Ojo as Wole, the protagonist; Sam Dede as Yisa, Wole’s tormentor and antagonist; Norbert Young (Prison Superintendent), Francis Onwochei (Prison Controller) and Edmond Enaibe (Commissioner); as well as international actors, London-UK-based Christiana Oshunniyi (Laide Soyinka), and Los Angeles, USA-based Abraham Awam-Amkpa (Johnson), among others.

After Chicago, the next port of call for The Man Died will be Europe, where it has been elected a “star attraction” at the 2025 African Theatre Association (AfTA) annual conference holding in Stuttgart, Germany in July. It is also being considered for special screenings at educational institutions in Florence, Italy, Abu Dhabi in the UAE, at New York University, Harvard University, and at Ithaca College, all in the US, at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, as well as at the House of World Culture in Berlin, Germany, among others. This is as it is also being reviewed by at least three major global streaming platforms, and international distribution channels.