House of the Dragons actor, Steve Toussaint and Sanaa Lathan (Love and Basketball) will play lead in the upcoming psychological thriller; A Blue Butterfly by acclaimed Nigerian filmmaker CJ Obasi.
The film begins production in early March, principal photography both in London and in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. The Script of A Blue Butterfly was by Steve Toussaint, produced by Stella Nwimo, and co-produced by Rebecca Long for the Boudica Entertainment.
The story follows Sentwali, a man haunted by his past who lives a cocooned existence as a limousine driver. His only human connection is Joseph, a frail Holocaust survivor who rides in his limousine and understands the weight of forced violence. When Sentwali meets charismatic Emily, who sees past his carefully maintained distance, a possibility of redemption and a future begins to flicker into existence.
The narratives explore themes of survivor’s guilt, redemption, the impossibility of self-forgiveness, and the lingering weight of violence and survival.
CJ Obasi, whose third feature, Mami Wata, debuted at Sundance 2023 and won the Dramatic Competition, was also Nigeria’s entry for the Best International Feature Oscar.
Stella Nwimo recently produced Olive Nwosu’s film Lady, which debuted at Sundance and is currently playing in the Panorama section at Berlinale. Nwimo and Long are meeting with sales executives about the project.
This project highlights CJ Obasi’s growing international presence, following his reputation for bold storytelling in African cinema and the collaboration between Nigerian and UK creatives, a trend of cross-cultural productions bridging African and Western film industries.
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