Nigerian filmmaker and director CJ Obasi has announced his next major project titled The Boy Who Runs. Obasi will produce, direct, and co-write The Boy Who Runs, a biopic based on the life of Ugandan athlete Julius Achon.
CJ Obasi’s new project is based on the book The Boy Who Runs: The Odyssey of Julius Achon by John Brant. The film will follow Achon’s journey from northern Uganda, where he was abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), an extremist organization operating in Central and East Africa, to his rise as a national champion and NCAA athlete at George Mason University. It will also explore his later years inside the elite American running world of Nike in Oregon and the personal struggles that shaped his evolution into one of Uganda’s most respected public figures of all time.
CJ Obasi will co-write The Boy Who Runs alongside Kirimi Kiage and Teddy Gitau. CJ Obasi’s production company Fiery Film will handle production in association with the Swiss-based studio 9 NIGHTS.
CJ Obasi’s last directed movie, Mami Wata, premiered at Sundance and went on to be showcased at various festivals. The film was Nigeria’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards and received nominations for both the Independent Spirit Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. He is currently shooting a psychological drama titled A Blue Butterfly starring Steve Toussaint and Sanaa Lathan.
CJ Obasi’s The Boy Who Runs is more than just a biopic; it’s a symbol of Nollywood’s growing influence on the world stage. With projects like The Boy Who Runs, Nollywood continues to prove that African cinema can inspire, challenge, and captivate audiences worldwide, cementing its place in the international film stage.
