Ndubuisi Ugah 
…Wale Ojo, Chimezie Imo, Genoveva Umeh, Sam Dede, others star in film
It’s December and what better time for Nigerians to savour a special treat than now, with the exciting cinematic feature, Breath of Life, coming on screens through the lovely Amazon Prime Video platform from December 15.
Featuring an impressive cast including Wale Ojo, Sam Dede, Genoveva Umeh, Ademola Adedoyin, Chimezie Imo, Bimbo Manuel, Tina Mba, Sambasa Nzeribe, Breath of Life is an inspirational faith-based movie dwelling on life, destiny and the unexpected turns life could take.
The movie follows the story of Jimi, played by Wale Ojo, a man who loses his sense of purpose but is redirected through an encounter with a young man who ends up changing his life and destiny.
The movie, which deservedly served as the closing film at the 2023 edition of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), was written and directed by BB Sasore and produced by Eku Edewor.
Speaking on how the movie’s thematic preoccupation came about, Derin Adeyokunnu, co-founder of Nemsia Films, the company behind the movie, said it came from a lack of Nigerian movies dwelling on male relationships.
“We don’t have any male relationship movies in the country. We typically have romance stories but not father-son, (male) employer/employee. That is where the conversation started from, I got that being around from BB Sasore’s dad, who was a very loving man and seeing his powerful manner of expressing affection towards his son.”
BB Sasore, the director who made waves with the 2018 movie, God Calling, echoes those thoughts, saying: “I am family-oriented, I have a daughter and family that I am regularly in touch with and that plays out in the movie, that although we are modern, yet we still found a way of creating that Nigerian family bond in the society.”
Speaking on how he was able to settle into the role of Jimi, Wale Ojo, said: “As an actor, I can picture what I want but it is until you discuss with the director that you will get a picture of what he wants to bring out.”
On his talented portrayal of Elijah, Chimezie Imo said he was captivated by the character so much that he wept when reading through the script. “This might be thought of as cliché now but I remember reading the script and I shed tears.
“I don’t think too much about getting into character, I just wanted to understand who this person is and I tried to be like him, there was no or little issue for me being Elijah. I just want to be in the direction this fantastic director wanted and that is how I handle all my roles.”
