The screening of Marvel superhero movie “Black Panther” which premiered on Friday night at IMAX Cinemas in Lekki Lagos, has witnessed an unprecedented presence of the high and mighty in the Nigerian entertainment industry including Nollywood actors/actresses, producers, fans as well as musicians.
The Walt Disney Co motion picture, which is set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, centers on the emergence of the new king, T‘Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). The movie features a predominantly black cast.
While Nigeria is a cultural powerhouse that boasts Africa's biggest film industry, known as Nollywood, Lagos remains the country’s filmmaking hub.
The screening of the movie, which was in collaboration with UBA Plc, saw entertainers mostly clad in traditional Nigerian robes and gowns, with some opting to wear specially made attire in keeping with the film’s futuristic take on African garments.
The showing was one of a number of screenings in the city this weekend.
According to Bolaji Kekere-Ekun, a 33-year-old filmmaker, "the people who made the film were very specific about the references they used in relationship to Africa. They are pulling from the best fashion and art.”
The fictional African country is depicted as a verdant land with stunning waterfalls where spacecraft designed like tribal masks soar over a modern metropolis.
The portrayal of Wakanda as a futuristic, wealth-laden nation was applauded by local actress Ijeoma Grace Agu, who used body paint and a two-piece outfit as a homage to the film’s fashion aesthetic and said she was ecstatic to watch the film.
“For once we are not just dressed in slave clothes or doing slavery or brutality. For once we are dressed in good clothes,” said Ijeoma.
“Seeing us exude power and strength, seeing our culture, our high fashion sense portrays us in a different light,” she added.
