Projects in development
Guest project
The Last Post Office in Lagos
Synopsis
Dele a young girl, with ambitions of being a writer gets lost, accompanying her truck driver father during a routine work trip to the sprawling metropolis of Lagos. At her wits end and without any knowledge of how to find her father or afford her way home she gets adopted by a street gang, lead by charismatic trouble maker called Ewa. Earning money in any way they can. The gang take refuge in the compound of the old Lagos post office, run by a blind superintendent. Through a series of events which showcase Dele’s unique creative acumen they manage to get the post office back functioning and serving the local community.
Seven Thirty Films (Kenya)
Wafa Tajdin
wafa@seventhirtyfilms.com
Fatherland Films (Nigeria)
Wale Davies, Funmbi Ogunbanwo
Edna Films (UK)
Ama Ampadu
Director’s statement
The Last Post Office in Lagos has been an idea which I’ve toyed with for a couple years. I’ve wanted to make something for the forgotten children in the continent and often the voiceless. Exploring their perseverance and imagination. Kids on the spectrum, special needs and street children all managing to carve out their own existence within an often ill prepared societies. I’m not one to speak for others and would love an opportunity to do some further research in the communities which exists in the story. This will bring perspective and authenticity to the stories. However I do feel that society on the whole needs to address how we provide for the most vulnerable. Equally a chance to develop a manuscript for telling new stories on the continent is vitally important. The emphasis on social magical realism and pulling a nuanced political subtext is key.
Biographies
Akinola Davies is a BAFTA nominated and Sundance award-winning Filmmaker, Visual Artist, and Music Curator, whose work spans nations to explore themes of community, race, spirituality, identity gender, telling stories that bridge the gap between traditional and millennial communities. His first narrative short film Lizard premiered at the 2020 BFI London Film Festival and was selected for the Raindance Film Festival. Most recently, Akin won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in Short Film for Lizard and the short is now nominated for a BAFTA. The film has since picked up the Best Narrative prize at Philadelphia’s prestigious Blackstar film festival.
Wafa has extensive producing expertise in documentary, short film, feature length, music video and commercial work which has seen her work in the Middle East, England, India and in various African countries. Milestones and achievements as a producer include: producer on the comedy TV series High and Dry for Channel 4 UK, shot on location in the Seychelles in 2017. She is also lead producer on the Kenyan feature film project, Birth Song (formerly Hawa Hawaii) currently in development, that has gone through the Sundance Director’s (2018) & Writers Lab (2017), Cannes La Fabrique (2017), Realness Residency (2016), Rotterdam Producers Lab (2015) and Produire Au Sud (Festival Des 3 Continents, 2014).
€2 700 000
period to be determined, Lagos, Nigeria
2025
Financiers, broadcasters
