{{Short description|2024 Nigerian action drama film directed by Afolabi Olalekan}} {{Use Nigerian English|date=October 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox film | name = Freedom Way | image = | caption = | director = Afolabi Olalekan | producer = Blessing Uzzi | screenplay = Blessing Uzzi | story = Blessing Uzzi | music = | starring = Adebowale Adedayo<br>Bimbo Akintola<br>Jesse Suntele<br>Meg Otanwa <br>Ogranya | cinematography = | editing = | studio = Bluhouse Studios | distributor = | released = {{Film date|2024|09|07|df=y|TIFF |2025|07|18|Nigeria}} | runtime = 88 minutes | country = Nigeria | language = English<br>Yoruba | budget = | gross = | based_on = }} '''''Freedom Way''''' is a 2024 Nigerian action thriller drama film written and produced by Blessing Uzzi and directed by Afolabi Olalekan in his feature film directorial debut. The film sheds light on some of the pressing issues facing Nigerians, such as rampant corruption, police brutality, political oppression, and economic insecurity and their impact on Nigerian youth.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Bergeson |first=Samantha |date=2024-09-04 |title='Freedom Way' Trailer: Nigerian Tech Founders Endure Police Brutality and Government Corruption in Activist Drama |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/trailers/freedom-way-trailer-nigerian-tech-founders-police-brutality-tiff-1235043100/ |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}</ref> The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery section on 7 September 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freedom Way |url=https://tiff.net/events/freedom-way |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=TIFF |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Mirilla |first=Dennis Da-ala |date=2024-07-24 |title=Afolabi Olalekan's 'Freedom Way' to screen at 2024 Toronto International Film Festival |url=https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/movies/afolabi-olalekans-freedom-way-selected-for-discovery-programme-at-tiff/l1p2ws5 |access-date=2024-10-29 |newspaper=Pulse Nigeria|language=en}}</ref> In November the film went on to win the Special Jury Award at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).<ref>{{Cite news |title=AFRIFF 2024: ‘Phoenix Fury’ emerges star winner of 13th Globe awards |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/nollywood/753695-afriff-2024-phoenix-fury-emerges-star-winner-of-13th-globe-awards.html |access-date=2025-04-20 |newspaper=Premium Times}}</ref>
== Synopsis == After years of hard work software developers Themba (Jesse Suntele) and Tayo (Ogranya Jable), launch their highly anticipated venture, Easy Go — a rideshare app that connects Lagos's motorcyclists with customers in the metropolitan area. The elation of the successful launch of their venture turns to despair when confronted with the realities of dealing with unfavorable government laws, rules and regulations, and police brutality.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://mubi.com/en/lk/films/freedom-way |title=Freedom Way (2024) {{!}} MUBI |language=en |access-date=2024-10-29 |via=mubi.com}}</ref>
== Cast == *Adebowale Adedayo as Abiola *Bimbo Akintola *Jesse Suntele as Themba *Meg Otanwa as Abiola's wife *Femi Jacobs as police cop *Mike Afolarin *Ogranya as Tayo *Teniola Aladese *Taye Arimoro as doctor *Tiwalola Adebola-Walter *Akin Lewis as Mr Ademola
== Production == The film was bankrolled by Blessing Uzzi under her production banner Bluhouse Studios.<ref>{{Cite web |last=BellaNaija.com |date=2024-07-24 |title=Afolabi Olalekan's Debut "Freedom Way" to Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival |url=https://www.bellanaija.com/2024/07/afolabi-olalekan-freedom-way-tiff-premiere/ |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=BellaNaija |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Holly |date=2024-09-10 |title=Corruption, Violence Reign in Afolabi Olalekan's Toronto Discovery Player 'Freedom Way' |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/global/blessing-uzzi-afolabi-olalekan-freedom-way-1236139651/ |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=YNaija |date=2024-08-06 |title=Afolabi Olalekan's "Freedom Way" Set for World Premiere at TIFF on September 7 » YNaija |url=https://ynaija.com/afolabi-olalekans-freedom-way-set-for-world-premiere-at-tiff-on-september-7/ |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=YNaija |language=en-GB}}</ref> The story was mostly shot and set in Lagos. The filmmakers faced a series of challenges due to budgetary constraints, reshoots and even unexpected recasting—one of the actors signed to the project backed out fearful that his aspirations for a future political career would be hampered due to the film's politically sensitive subject matter.<ref name=":0" />
== Theme == Uzzi set out to tell a story that was in part inspired by recent Nigerian headlines, but for structure, looked to ''Crash'', the Oscar-winning 2004 drama about race relations in Los Angeles, and to Ava DuVernay’s 2019 series ''When They See Us'', which fictionalized an egregious miscarriage of justice in New York City in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=At the Toronto International Film Festival, Two Films Explore the Darker Corners of Lagos {{!}} OkayAfrica |url=https://www.okayafrica.com/films-darker-lagos-tiff-2024/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=www.okayafrica.com |language=en}}</ref>
The film showcases the harsh realities of contemporary Nigerian youth, including human rights abuses by the Nigerian police. Director Afolabi Olalekan was himself a victim of harassment by<ref name=":1" /> the Nigeria Police Force and is explicit that ''Freedom Way'' is an indictment of the institution.<ref name=":0" />
"The Nigerian Police Force is notorious for harassing and extorting young Nigerians for how they are dressed and groomed or for the gadgets in their possession, profiling them as criminals and fraudsters, sometimes even going as far as holding them in jails, until they are able to prove themselves innocent of the crimes they’ve been charged with despite zero evidence linking them to the allegations. I have been a victim of such harassments and arrests and my experience partly inspired the creative direction of ‘Freedom Way.’ So for me, ‘Freedom Way’ is personal and true in every sense of that word."
== Reception == ''Freedom Way'' received generally positive reviews from critics, both in Nigeria and internationally, for its screenplay, direction, cinematography, and acting. ''Variety'' compared the film's structure to the works of Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi<nowiki/>in in which a specific incident often serves as catalyst for the unfolding proceedings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elfadl |first=Murtada |date=2024-09-17 |title='Freedom Way' Review: From Nigeria, a Kinetic Thriller Juggles Many Intertwining Narratives |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/festivals/freedom-way-review-1236144598/ |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-11 |title=AFRIFF 2024: 'Freedom Way' Review - What Kept Me Up |url=https://whatkeptmeup.com/nigerian-movie-reviews/afriff-2024-freedom-way-review/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Obenson |first=Tambay A. |date=2024-09-12 |title=FREEDOM WAY (TIFF Review): An Ambitious, Visually Captivating, Yet Narratively Uneven Journey Through Lagos |url=https://akoroko.com/freedom-way-tiff-review-nigeria/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=AKOROKO |language=en-US}}</ref>
Following its TIFF debut in September 2024, ''Freedom Way'' was showcased at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in Nigeria, where it won the Jury Award in November. The film was later featured at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia in December.
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb title|tt27329776}}
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Category:2024 films Category:2024 thriller films Category:Nigerian drama films Category:Nigerian action films Category:Nigerian thriller films Category:English-language Nigerian films Category:Films shot in Nigeria Category:Films set in Nigeria Category:Films shot in Lagos Category:Films set in Lagos Category:2020s Yoruba-language films Category:2024 Nigerian films Category:2024 English-language films Category:2024 drama films Category:2024 action films Category:English-language thriller films Category:English-language action films Category:English-language drama films Category:2024 directorial debut films