Tunde Kelani’s ‘Cordelia’ to screen at 30th New York Film Festival

Veteran filmmaker Tunde Kelani is one of the few African producers who will present his latest work ‘Cordelia’ at the 30th African Film Festival in New York on May 15.

Festival director Mahen Bonneti said at a press conference on Saturday that Mr. Kelani’s film will be screened at 7:30 p.m. along with Goga Clay’s short film “Worker of the Month.”

“Cordelia”, set in Nigeria in the early 1990s under military rule, is an adaptation of a fictional work by renowned playwright and poet Femi Osofisan.

The 75-year-old founder and director of Mainframe Productions stated that it is a product of collaboration with people from different cultures and backgrounds, brought together by a limitless creative force.

The movie stars some stylish Nigerian actors including Keppy Ekpeyong, Yvonne Jegede, William Benson, Kelechi Udegbe, Femi Adebayo, Taiwo Ibikunle and Ropo Ewenla.

The New York African Film Festival is an annual festival that has been running for over 30 years, showing a selection of top African films each year with the aim of celebrating African film culture.

Synopsis

Cordelia is a period drama adapted from Femi Osofisan’s novel, set in Nigeria in the early 90s, under military rule.

The story follows a university professor who unwittingly becomes embroiled in a military coup. One morning, concerned about his wife’s strange behavior, he arrives at his office and is soon visited by two strange students, one of whom is Cordelia Nwaeze Peters, the daughter of a well-known Colonel Nwaeze Peters of the Nigerian Army who was recently implicated in a military coup.

As a result of the coup d’état, there is general unrest, the students rioting and Cordelia’s life in danger. The professor decides to save Cordelia’s life and becomes more involved in the national crisis.

General Peters, motivated by the teacher’s altruistic act towards his daughter, is able to thwart the coup. After settling into a new position at the head of the government, General Peters offers the professor a cabinet as a reward for saving his daughter’s life.

Cordelia is a heartwarming story of sacrifice, courage and what one person will do to protect those they care about in times of crisis.

Birth of ‘Cordelia’

The New York Festival outing marks another milestone in the illustrious career of Mr. Kelani, easily Nigeria’s leading filmmaker.

He recently received an Honorary Doctorate from Lead City University, Ibadan for his outstanding work in the field of cinema and his contribution to the dissemination and preservation of Yoruba cultural heritage.

Uncle Tk, as she is fondly called, tagged “Cordelia – The Goddess of Cultural Diversity and Collaboration”.

Talking about how he made Cordelia, he explained that the film was the result of a collaborative effort across different continents and cultures.

He said: “As a filmmaker, I have always sought to promote cultural diversity in my films and celebrate the rich heritage of Africa’s many cultures and languages.

“That’s why I was excited to collaborate with Professor James Anderson, Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Delaware and founder of the UD Cultural Fusion Initiative.” He said

He also revealed that the collaboration has had two levels. The first level was in Nigeria. Mr. Osofisan wrote Cordelia all by himself and adapted it for the screen with the help of a Nigerian composer, Michael Ogunlade.

The second level was held at the University of Delaware in the US, where the premiere of the movie Cordelia took place. American student orchestras played the musical score while the film was shown to a live audience.

“The project involved approximately seventy-five musicians, student orchestrators and arrangers, a four-time Grammy-winning recording engineer, and School of Music faculty.”

“The recorded and edited music was sent to us in Nigeria for the final sound mix of Cordelia, which will be presented at the New York African Film Festival in mid-May 2023.” He added