Actress and film director, Genevieve Nnaji has made history as Nollywood’s first billionaire following news of Netflix’s acquisition of her directorial debut, ‘Lionheart’.
She is said to have sold the movie to Netflix for $3.8 million (N1,385,100,000). ‘Lionheart’ since its release has received great reviews from movie enthusiasts and Nnaji is excited about it.
“Thank you everyone for accepting Lionheart into your homes and your hearts,” she says. This is how we change the narrative. Together. Let us continue to bridge the gap.”
‘Lionheart’, is the first original Nigerian movie distributed exclusively on the global streaming giant Netflix.
It was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2018.
The movie which was done with shots of Nigeria’s picturesque landscape stars Genevieve Nnaji, Peter Okoye, Nkem Owoh, Pete Edochie and Onyeka Onwenu.
It captures the challenges of a female in a male-dominated industry. It tells the story of Adaeze, a young lady who steps up to the challenge when her father, Ernest Obiagu, is forced to take a step back from his company due to health issues.
Nnaji says the idea of Lionheart came from her “desire and hunger to shed light, and to speak the truth of what it’s like to be a young [woman] trying to make it in a world that is dominated by men.”
She adds that ”it was equally important to me that the movie was light-hearted and warm, so the environment in which it was told was crucial as well.”
Source: JiveNaija.com
