Rain Pryor, the daughter of American comedian and actor, Richard Pryor, has commenced shooting of her Nollywood-Hollywood film project in Nigeria.
The untitled film centers around the Yoruba Ifa Mythology, a subject she has studied over the years, then decided to make a movie about.
As an actress, Rain has featured in several film and TV credits and sitcoms including Head of the Class and Rude Awakening.
The film, which is her debut directorial role, is a cross-cultural affair that unites Nollywood and Hollywood talents, with Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola in the lead role as Oba Fagbemi.
“I am a fan of Nollywood. In the last year and a half, Nollywood has flooded the United States through Netflix and other streaming platforms, and I have watched King of Boys, Jagun Jagun among others. I have also watched Adekola’s acting range and what he can do and believe he possesses what is needed for the character of Oba Fagbemi in the film, and that’s why I chose him,” said the 53-year-old actress who was renamed Osunyemi Oriomodun (Osun Priestess).
For Rain, the project is life-changing as it was for her late father who had visited Africa during his lifetime.
“I have a family that is rich in tradition and culture, and when I travelled to Nigeria to learn about the Yoruba culture, predominantly Ifa, I thought how can I collaborate with Nigerians and Black Americans to create something that is a mixture of Hollywood and Nollywood? My father made profound changes in his life when he came to Africa, and felt that he found his soul and himself, and here I am, doing the same thing, finding my place.”
Arguably the first of its kind, in terms of magnitude of the collaboration between the two film industries (Nollywood and Hollywood), Rain is confident it will excite viewers in the United States and Nigeria with its rich and cross-cultural plot.
Working closely with her to achieve this feat are Nigerian filmmaker Bola Attah, and Arts Consultant, Chike Nwoffiah. Both serve as executive directors in the project contributing their expertise to the success of the film.
By Samuel Abulude, Leadership
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