The first high school musical film produced in Nigeria has been previewed at the weekend, during the 35th anniversary reunion of the 1989 Class of Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association (GCIOBA).
The movie preview was part of activities marking the 35th anniversary reunion of the 1989 Class of GCIOBA.
The film titled, ‘Pride Rock: The Chronicles’, was produced and directed by Samsideen Adesiyan and sponsored by Gbegande Olusegun Onayinka Foundation. The film, which has nearly 300 teenage actors, features top Nollywood actors such as Yemi Solade, Bimbo Oshin, Afiz Oyetoro, Ropo Ewenla, Taiwo Ibikunle, Emmanuel Nlemadim, Seun Kentebe, Ralph Niyi, Aisha Lawal, Femi Durojaiye, Joke Muyiwa, Jude Orhora and Andreas Fritzer.
It also include teen actors such as; Martins Ibikunle, Kiitan Olowookere, Inioluwa Taiwo, Olamide Carew, Gbenga Ajayi, Michael Aluko, Olowolafe Tobi, Timileyin Olayemi, Onasebu Timileyin, Imoudu Elijah, Owoeye Cyrus, Ayeni Michael, Samuel Arowolo, Israel Olufemi, Babatope Daniel, Simisola Sheleru, Oreoluwa Bamidele, Perpetual Ozurumba, Eniola Afolabi, Favour Oluwagbemi, and Temitope Ajiboye
‘Pride Rock: The Chronicles’ tells the story of the prestigious Government College Ibadan from the year of foundation in 1929 through its early formative and transformative years.
Its plots and sub-plots share with the world the high school experiences of the school’s students who have had significant impacts on Nigeria and the world at large.
A statement released on Sunday said the stories reflect the dogma and principle of excellence upon which the school was founded.
It added that GCI, as it is widely known, produced some of the best personalities that helped to build the early foundations of Nigeria across different fields.
“Arguably, GCI has more old boys who have projected Nigeria and Africa onto the world stage more than any other secondary school in Nigeria. Its story thus deserves to be told as we struggle to rebuild Nigeria and inspire our teeming youths.”
According to Olusegun Onayinka, an old boy of the school, he said: “The idea behind this movie is to reproduce the experiences of great men who have passed through Government College Ibadan in order to create a legacy for the school and to serve as a guiding light for the new generation of students and those to come. We are proud to say that this is the first high school musical movie in Nigeria and Africa.”
Speaking further, Onayinka said: “As you may already know, the 1989 Class of the GCIOBA has modernized the school Assembly Hall and redesigned its stage.
“The Class set undertook the project in order to create opportunities for GCI to produce more literary giants and top class creative gurus like T.M Aluko, Cyprian Ekwensi, Wole Soyinka, Dapo Adelugba, Femi Osofisan, Bode Sowande, Yanju Adegbite, Bisola Ologunde- Lagbaja, and several others from the younger generation of old boys.
“It is expected that when the film makes its way to cinema houses and other channels, it will provide the inspiration for youths to aim high regardless of their background.”
Reiterating the point, the director of the film, Samsideen Adesiyan, said: “Pride rock is the story of ordinary boys who left their villages and towns across Nigeria to converge in Apata, the little village where Government College Ibadan is located. These ordinary boys went on to become great personalities who did extraordinary things that put Nigeria on the global stage. Therefore, for all the young boys currently in the school and those to come, the film is saying ‘you can do extraordinary feats no matter who you are now’. GCI traditionally is a melting pot for everyone and a perfect example of a leveling ground without discrimination.”
Adesiyan also explained further: “We set out to make a high school musical film as a novel idea in the context of Nollywood because we want to reach youths of varying backgrounds and cultures. Moreso because as a high school film, we are more focused on telling stories that are positive and which inspire, spiced with a variety of entertainment experiences; dance, music and action. The music in the film is eclectic and of two kinds, musical dialogues and incidental music. The compositions and productions travel across generations, so what you will find is a potpourri of different sounds reflecting time, cultures and genres.”
He concluded that in spite of the huge challenges, the film is about to revolutionise Nollywood as it will serve as another ‘kind of film’ others will aspire to do.