Vanessa Obioha

Veteran Nigerian filmmaker Tunde Kelani is set to release his latest film, ‘Cordelia,’ in cinemas nationwide on July 18, 2025, marking his return to the big screen after a three-year production journey.

“‘Cordelia’ is a film about silence. About the unspoken damage of power, and the quiet suffering of those who live in the shadows of history,” said Kelani at a recent media parley. “It is a political story, yes — but it is also deeply personal. It holds a mirror to the fractures in our society and the fragility within the family when truth is suppressed.”

Adapted from Femi Osofisan’s novella, ‘Cordelia’ is a political drama set in early 1990s Nigeria during a military coup. It tells the story of a university professor, Adekunle Benson, who shelters a wounded student, Cordelia, unaware that she is the daughter of a high-ranking officer accused of leading the coup. As danger mounts, buried truths surface, forcing him to choose between self-preservation and justice.

Speaking about the film adaptation of the book, Kelani emphasised the importance of adapting African literature to the screen.

“This is a reminder of the critical bond between African literature and African film.
Our written stories, oral traditions, folklore, and lived experiences, are part of our intangible heritage. When we adapt them to film, we are not just entertaining, we are preserving, interpreting, and passing on culture. This is what makes our cinema deeply authentic, and what sets African storytelling apart.”

The film features Omowunmi Dada, William Benson, Yvonne Jegede, Keppy Ekpeyong, and Kelechi Udegbe among others. It was scored in collaboration with the University of Delaware’s Music Department as part of a cultural exchange project titled Cultural Fusion.

The screenplay is written by Bunmi Ajiboye, directed and produced by Kelani, and executive produced by Tayo Oladimeji and Kunle Adebiyi.

Kelani, whose credits include ‘Saworoide,’ ‘Thunderbolt,’ and ‘Maami,’ said ‘Cordelia’ is “not the end, but a new beginning” in his decades-long journey of telling African stories on screen.

Distributed by FilmOne, ‘Cordelia’ opens in cinemas nationwide from July 18.