Argo Films forges partnership with Yoruba Saxon, Fremantle
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Editor
| 14 December 2022
Just days after renowned British producer Richard Johns announced the new venture, Argo Films, alongside Yoruba Saxon Productions, has announced a strategic partnership with global producer and distributor Fremantle for six-hour series Biafra.
Argo Oyelowo RichardJohns YvonneIsimemeIbazebo BolaAgbaje NgoziOnwurah 14Dec2022
The series is set in the UK and Nigeria, with the story unfolding across two main timelines; the present day, and the 1967-70 Biafra War – which remains a largely forgotten dark secret in the shared histories of both countries. The series, seen through the eyes of a young Black British woman, will be a character-led personal story, and a historical, political drama, with themes of family, identity and belonging at its heart.

Laurence Olivier Award-winning writer, Bola Agbaje (Gone Too Far) is writing the script, and acclaimed director Ngozi Onwurah (Shoot the Messenger, Mama Africa) is co-developing and attached to direct. Additional executive producers, alongside Johns and BAFTA and Emmy-nominated actor David Oyelowo (pictured far left), include Turnover Films’ Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo (Rye Lane, Top Boy, Guerrilla) and Fremantle’s Christian Vesper (Top of the Lake, No Man’s Land).

The project is currently in development with the BBC, with Fremantle attached as its strategic partner and Oyelowo and his Yoruba Saxon executive producing. “My Nigerian heritage and desire to see African stories told at the highest level has led to Biafra being one of my most treasured projects. My parents married across the tabooed tribal lines of the Biafran conflict, and it shaped my life, much as it has done to millions of Nigerians,” said Oyelowo. “To be able to bring the amazing talents of director Ngozi Onwurah, who I first worked with on Shoot the Messenger, and writer, Bola Agbaje, who I’ve been seeking to work with for quite some time, makes this the definition of a passion project for me.”

“Britain and Nigeria have a hugely important, multi-layered, and historic relationship, one that is very much alive today. With this series, we are setting ourselves the mission of telling an incredibly powerful story about discovering and reclaiming a lost identity and a forgotten history – all with a truly authentic West African voice,” Johns of Argo Films added.

“We are so lucky to be working with Bola, Ngozi, Yvonne and David to bring this story to the screen. Ultimately, this is a universal story about who we are and making sense of ourselves by knowing more about our ancestors and the world they lived and fought in. Biafra will be smart, thought-provoking, grounded in fact and gripping – while always accessible and entertaining: it promises to be a true landmark in limited-series storytelling.”