What if Uber was bogged down by government corruption?
Such is the premise of TIFF-selected thriller-drama “Freedom Way,” which centers on a ride-share start-up that is being extorted by the police. Afolabi Olalekan, known for acclaimed pop star music videos, makes his directorial debut with the feature that is co-written by producer Blessing Uzzi.
The official synopsis reads: “Software developers Themba (Jesse Suntele) and Tayo (Mike Afolarin) have finally launched their latest venture, Easy Go — a new rideshare app to connect Lagos State’s busy commercial motorcyclists (‘Okada riders’) with customers in their area. Riding high on capital investments and credible government assurances, the young South African and Nigerian duo can finally envision the fruits of their labor. But after a night of celebrating, the business partners confront a pernicious roadblock familiar to all Nigerian youth — the police. This routine extortion, however, will turn out to be the least of their concerns.
While Easy Go’s developers are street-taxed out of their success, the app takes off. For Abiola (Mr. Macaroni AKA Adebowale Adedayo), a young father and rider, it has been a godsend. That is until the government announces a total ban on Okada, leaving Abiola without his livelihood and the developers feeling as though they’ve been used as political pawns.”
“Freedom Way” is produced by Nigerian production company Bluhouse Studio.
Uzzi told IndieWire that the film is a “love letter to Nigeria” with a poignant, universal message.
“I hope that someday, young people can dream and live freely, without the fear of police or oppressive government policies,” Uzzi said, citing that the ensemble film was inspired by 2004’s “Crash.”
“Producing a film is never easy, and ‘Freedom Way’ was no exception,” Uzzi continued. “We faced numerous challenges, from recasting and reshooting to financial setbacks. On the very day he was scheduled to begin filming, one actor withdrew, citing concerns that participating in the film might impact his future political ambitions. Despite these obstacles, we stuck together as a team and completed the film. While the director concentrated on creating a quality film, I focused on raising funds and ensuring he had everything he needed on set. It was tough, but ultimately, it was all worth it.”
Director Olalekan explained what the TIFF world premiere means for both himself and “Freedom Way” as a whole.
“Having your debut film premiere at TIFF is a big deal, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. A global audience will now have the opportunity to experience ‘Freedom Way.’ I am looking forward to what is to come,” Olalekan said. “The Nigerian Police Force is notorious for harassing and extorting young Nigerians for how they are dressed and groomed or for the gadgets in their possession, profiling them as criminals and fraudsters, sometimes even going as far as holding them in jails, until they are able to prove themselves innocent of the crimes they’ve been charged with despite zero evidence linking them to the allegations. I have been a victim of such harassments and arrests and my experience partly inspired the creative direction of ‘Freedom Way.’ So for me, ‘Freedom Way’ is personal and true in every sense of that word.”
Olalekan concluded, “I believe that the more we address these issues through our art, the greater the chance for change, and I hope more people will share stories like this. It may seem like the government isn’t paying attention, but they are noticing these films.”
“Freedom Way” premieres at TIFF 2024. The film is looking for distribution. Check out the trailer below.
