Oya: Rise of the Orishas is an action packed superhero film starring resurrected mythical deities from African Folklore, known as the Orishas, as modern day superheros. Oya is written, directed and produced by rising filmmaker Nigerian Nosa Igbinedion.
The films’ main star, Adesuwa, is administered with the mighty task of channeling the energy of goddess Oya to find her kidnapped missing daughter Rebecca. In the beginning of the story we witness as Adesuwa humbly calls upon her connection to Oya and is given electrifying new powers in the face of evil. Ade’s job is to keep the doorway between the world of man and the Orishas firmly shut because if the Orishas pass through they will reap their revenge and wreck havoc on Earth.
Ade’s challenges are no small feat. She is up against an army of many dangerous men and woman who would love nothing more than to kill her for sacrifice like her daughter – or worse – trap her and hold her hostage to use her powers against her will.
As we see in the Orishas’ trailer, Ade is strong, powerful and precise. While Ade’s challenge is no small feat, she skillfully knocks out the Orisha gatekeepers to get closer to saving her daughter only to be put knocked down in a trance by the next challenger who claims that the daughter she seeks was not the key to the Orishas, but Ade herself is the key and she has walked right into the trap.
We are left hungry for more as the twelve-minute trailer ends with Ade and her daughter being reunited only for Ade to realize that her daughter has been captured to be a hypnotized medium between Ade and the Orishas and it is Ade who the Orishas truly wanted.
According to OkayAfrica.com we can expect to see more from Igbinedion in the future as his talent has recently scored him a Rising Talent award for the Oya: Rise of the Orishas film and a 2015 Screen Nations Award in London. Oya: Rise of the Orishas has enjoyed successful screenings in Nigerian, Brazilian, American, and European film festivals and Igbinedion’s production company Igodo Films revealed that the film has been adapted for the silver screen1.
Igbinedion says he made the film “in order to prove that there is a market for sci-fi films revolving around African Characters and storylines1.” Plans have also been confirmed for a comic-book spin off of the film.
Currently the twelve-minute trailer can be viewed below:
1 http://www.okayafrica.com/news/african-superhero-film-oya-rise-of-the-orishas-nosa-igbinedion/