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Oath Boundwimnadmin2019-02-10T23:21:43-05:00
Ola Laniyan, Director
Nneka was tricked into the Nigerian sex slave industry. She was bought, sold and trafficked to England. Bound by a Juju Oath- A contract conducted by black magic and dark forces, Nneka, alongside the
other girls in the house, have spent many years living in fear. Fear of brutal punishments by their captors, fear of breaking the oath, fear of death.
However, Despite her bleak life, Nneka still has hope that better days are ahead and today, she decides she has had enough. Today, she breaks the Oath. This short film forms the first part of a six part series based on the power of black magic and it’s role in the Nigerian sex trade industry.
The making of the film did not come without it’s challenges. Whilst filming dates were confirmed and secured, major casts were not. Within the last week, two members of the cast dropped out. Helen Osabutey who plays ‘Madam’ and Peter Parker Mensa who plays ‘Mr Balogun’ secured their roles 3 days before the actual shoot. The crew of Oath Bound worked on a ratio of 3:1 females to males.
This short film forms the first part of a six part series based on the power of black magic and it’s role in the Nigerian sex trade industry. Oath Bound has been rewritten over 8 times in four years. It was previously titled ‘The Oath’ but changed when an American TV series was released with the same name in the same year. The script was shortlisted in the BBC writer’s room in 2016 . Whilst Ola has been writing for many years, this is the first film she has directed.
Ola is an award winning writer with a passion for telling compelling stories. This was recognized at the London Independent Film Festival where her work ‘UNSPOKEN’ won best short film in 2013. Ola has been writing for over ten years and currently has four published titles. She has written for a wide audience, ranging from young children through to teenagers and adults. She was previously the owner of Urbantopia Books- an award winning publishing house dedicated to publishing books written by BAME authors and is now the CEO of Laniyan’s Ink Productions.
Whilst Ola has been writing for years, ’Oath Bound’ is the first film she has directed. Ola is determined to get more BAME faces on screen and more women in production. The production crew on Oath Bound worked with a ratio of 3:1 women to men. British born but originally from Nigeria, Ola grew up on an inner London Estate with her small Family.
From the Director
The sex slave industry is a million dollar business that entraps women all over the world. I find it heart breaking that in this day and age it is so rife and nothing seems to be done about it. Closer to my heart is the Nigerian sex slave industry. Many young women are trapped because they have such a strong belief in black magic. Nigerian sex slaves don’t ever attempt to run and even when they are saved they never accept the help out of fear of the consequence of breaking the ‘Oath’. Making a film like this serves to raise people’s awareness of the situation. It also serves to warn young women that could potentially fall victim to sex slavery.
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