Abeni (film)

Abeni is a two-part 2007 Nigerian-Beninese romance film produced and directed by Tunde Kelani.^[1][2] It depicts the social divide that occurs as a result of colonialism despite the geographical proximity between Benin and Nigeria.^[3]

Abeni
Directed by	Tunde Kelani
Written by	Yinka Ogun François Okioh
Starring	Jide Kosoko Kareem Adepoju Abdel Amzat Bukky Wright
Production companies	Dove Media, Laha Productions Mainframe Film and Television Production
Distributed by	Mainframe Film and Television Productions
Release date	March 31, 2006 (2006-03-31)
Running time	98 minutes
Countries	Nigeria Benin
Languages	Yoruba French

Plot

Abeni follows the story of the eponymous Abeni who was born with a silver spoon. She meets Akanni who hails from a more modest background. They are engaged to be married to other people but their meeting changes the course of already set plans.

Cast

• Kareem Adepoju as Baba Wande
• Abdel Hakim Amzat as Akanni
• Sola Asedeko as Abeni
• Samuel Ajirebi
• Jide Kosoko as Abeni's father
• Bukky Wright
• Idowu Philips
• Ayo Badmus
• Moufoutaou Akadiri
• Aboh M. Akinocho

Production and release

Abeni was set in Yoruba-speaking areas of Nigeria and Cotonu. It employed the methods of Code-Switching, Code-Mixing and Code-Conflicting as it involved two languages and depicts how the characters overcame language barrier by paying close attention and employing the use of gesticulations.^[2][4]

It was a joint production between Mainframe Film and Television Productions and Laha Productions.^[5] It was released on 31 March 2006 with physical copies selling in post offices, banks and fast food joints.^[6]

Critical reception

In a review for The Nation, Victor Akande wrote "With hilarious sub-plots woven through the core story of love lust and regains, this is a fascinating portrait of the Yoruba urban middle class that flows between Nigeria and Republic of Benin."^[1]

The film was nominated in 11 categories at the 3rd Africa Movie Academy Awards and won in 2 of the categories.^[7]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2007	Africa Movie Academy Awards	Best Sound	Won	[7]
		Best Film in an African Language	Nominated
		Best Nigerian Film	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Nominated
		Best Indigenous Film	Nominated
		Best Performance by Child - Samuel Olaseinde	Won
		Best Edit	Nominated
		Best Upcoming Artiste - Amzat Abdel Hakim	Nominated
		Best Actress in Supporting Role - Noelie Funmi Agbendegba	Nominated
		Best Director - Tunde Kelani	Nominated
		Best Picture	Nominated
	Nigerian Movie Awards		Won	[1]