Rising Nigerian film powerhouse The Agbajowo Collective put an urgent spin on the brutality of forced evictions with their debut film, “The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos,” which screened in Toronto as part of their Centrepiece program, which touts “compelling storytelling and global perspectives.”
Queen of Katwe – Official Trailer
Written and directed by a diverse team of seven emerging and established talents, the story follows single mother Jawu (Temi Ami-Williams) as she takes on the mercenaries who are brutally killing her waterfront village. The story is based on the destruction of informal settlements in the Otodo Gbame fishing community in 2017.
In a first-look trailer shared exclusively with Variety , the town is introduced via a sweeping aerial shot, framing the stitched-together structures nestled between waterways, several of which sport bright blue and clay-colored tin roofs that shine effortlessly through thick gray skies. An announcement relaying the state’s plan to demolish the town plays in lockstep as the teaser transitions into a mountain of money, neatly wrapped hundred-dollar bills stacked high.
Meanwhile, Jawu and her son count their modest earnings by the light of an oil lamp, sacrificing each stack for their dreams and necessities: his education, her market budget, and a new home.
