The Joburg Film Festival (JFF), running from March 11 to 16, 2025, has announced The Man Died as an official selection, placing it in competition at one of South Africa’s leading film events.
Based on the prison memoir of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, The Man Died depicts his 22-month imprisonment without trial during the Nigerian Civil War. The adaptation, directed by Awam Amkpa and produced by Zik Zulu Film, stars Wale Ojo as Soyinka, with Sam Dede, Norbert Young, Chidi Mokeme, and Segilola Ogidan among the supporting cast.
Femi Odugbemi, one of the film’s producers, expressed excitement about its selection, recalling his past roles as a JFF jury member and script selector for the JFF/Showmax ‘New Voices’ initiative. “We can’t wait to share this powerful story,” he said, inviting audiences to the red carpet screening at Mandela Square, Sandton Mall, on March 12.
JFF, recognized for promoting African filmmakers and fostering international industry connections, also runs JBX (Joburg Xchange), a platform for industry discussions and collaborations.
Scheduled for wider release in July 2025 to mark Soyinka’s 90th birthday, the film was written by Bode Asiyanbi and shot primarily in Ibadan, Nigeria, with Soyinka’s personal approval.
Soyinka, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 as the first sub-Saharan African recipient, is known for works such as The Lion and the Jewel, Aké: The Years of Childhood, and Chronicles From The Land of the Happiest People on Earth. His writings continue to influence African literature and film, with The Man Died following the 2022 adaptation of Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman by EbonyLife for Netflix.
The Man Died Official Trailer
