40 Years After, The Movie ’76 Comes to Life
The cast and crew of Prince Tonye Princewill's latest movie production, ‘76, alongside leaders of the business community, for the first time, saw the finished product of six years of intense work during a private screening held recently in Lagos.
’76 tells the story of a young military officer from Nigeria’s Middle Belt region who gets entangled in a romantic relationship and eventually marries a beautiful student from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria. Their budding romance is threatened by endless military postings, and they face the ultimate test when news of the soldier’s involvement in a botched coup attempt hits the headlines.
Directed by award-winning director, Izu Ojukwu, ‘76 is inspired by events which led up to and followed the botched 1976 coup d’etat, and features real life, archived, actual footage that contributes to the movie’s overall authenticity. The execution of the movie was also done with the explicit approval and support from the Nigerian Army.
Ojukwu, who described the movie as a tale of love in a time of post war, noted, “The movie deals with a range of issues including the plight of the African woman, and the usually invisible pain of a soldier’s wife. It highlights the enduring Nigerian cultural values of courage, resilience, patience, loyalty, faith and family and the nation’s ability to surmount all challenges.”
The release of ‘76 comes four decades to the date after the actual events, and follows several years of work by the director and the production duo of Adonis Productions and Princewill’s Trust. ‘76 stars renowned Nollywood names including Rita Dominic, Ramsey Nouah, Chidi Mokeme, Ibinabo Fiberesinma, Memry Savanhu, Ada Ofoegbu, Daniel K. Daniel and a host of others.
The Executive Producer and a patron of the Nigerian Association of Movie Producers, Prince Tonye Princewill, said ‘76 is a deeply emotional movie.” Thanking the Nigerian Army, M-Net and other sponsors for their support, Princewill added: “None of this would be possible without the support we have received and continue to receive. The cast and crew have been phenomenal, and they gave their all to make this movie the success.”
Speaking on the Nigerian Army’s involvement in the movie, the Head Civil-Military Affairs Army Head Quarters, Major General Nicholas Rogers, representing the Chief of Army Staff said, "The relationship between the army and the people is now even more critical. Our true strength comes from collaboration, and nowhere is it better illustrated than in partnerships such as these.” He also reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army leadership to anything positive that tells their true story.
‘76 premieres in 2016 in cinemas across the world starting in Nigeria, thereafter it will hopefully come to TV screens across the continent courtesy of DSTv Box office, Netflix & MNET/Africa Magic.