He was a lover, a fighter, a political activist, a polygamist, a thorn in the Nigerian government's side, a bestselling recording artist, the basis for a hit Broadway show, a band leader, and most importantly, an African. Alex Gibney's Finding Fela takes an in-depth look at the life and times of Fela Kuti, the legendary Afrobeat singer-songwriter who became a musical ambassador for his country and his continent.
'Finding Fela' Brings Afrobeat to Sundance
Interspersing archival live footage of Kuti and his Africa 70 band with vintage interview clips,...
'Finding Fela' Brings Afrobeat to Sundance
Interspersing archival live footage of Kuti and his Africa 70 band with vintage interview clips,...
- 7/29/2014
- Rollingstone.com
Andrew Dosunmu will direct Focus Features’ drama Fela Kuti, the Afrobeat pioneer and human rights activist who rallied against the corrupt Nigerian regime of the 1970s.
The project is currently in development and will chart the life of the Nigerian, who fashioned a musical style that is said to continue to influence contemporary hip-hop.
Dosunmu (pictured) most recently directed the Sundance release Mother Of George.
Lydia Dean Pilcher and Leigh Blake will produce the Cine Mosaic production. Nigerian poet Chris Abani and Focus CEO James Schamus adapted the screenplay from Michael Veal’s 2000 book Fela: The Life And Times Of An African Musical Icon.
Focus evp of international production Teresa Moneo will supervise Fela Kuti for president of production Jeb Brody.
The project is currently in development and will chart the life of the Nigerian, who fashioned a musical style that is said to continue to influence contemporary hip-hop.
Dosunmu (pictured) most recently directed the Sundance release Mother Of George.
Lydia Dean Pilcher and Leigh Blake will produce the Cine Mosaic production. Nigerian poet Chris Abani and Focus CEO James Schamus adapted the screenplay from Michael Veal’s 2000 book Fela: The Life And Times Of An African Musical Icon.
Focus evp of international production Teresa Moneo will supervise Fela Kuti for president of production Jeb Brody.
- 9/16/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
It was supposed to be the possible project that 12 Years a Slave filmmaker Steve McQueen would possibly direct after his stunning debut (Hunger), but now it’s one of the more prominent members of the current wave of talented indie filmmakers who’ll take on a project featuring one of Africa’s musical icons. TheWrap reports that Andrew Dosunmu (the helmer of Restless City and Mother of George – Oscilloscope Laboratories 09.07) will direct Fela Kuti – the biopic that Chris Abani and Focus’ own James Schamus have been drafting all the way back since 2009. In our books, this should make for one lush, visually sensual portraits.
Gist: Based on Michael Veal’s “Fela: The Life and Times of An African Musical Icon,” this is about the human rights activist, sexual revolutionary and political maverick. Fela Kuti was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was the king of Afrobeat,...
Gist: Based on Michael Veal’s “Fela: The Life and Times of An African Musical Icon,” this is about the human rights activist, sexual revolutionary and political maverick. Fela Kuti was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was the king of Afrobeat,...
- 9/16/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
When we caught up with "12 Years A Slave" director Steve McQueen in Toronto he told us he wanted to do something a bit different for his next movie. "I'll do a musical next. I want to do a musical, that's what I want to do," McQueen said, so naturally our thoughts turned to "Fela Kuti," the long developing biopic of the afrobeat legend. McQueen had been attached to this one for a while, even before he shot "Shame," with talk of his 'Slave' star Chiwetel Ejiofor taking the lead role. But it looks like things are changing. The Wrap reports that Andrew Dosunmu, director of the recently released "Mother Of George," has taken over helming duties on the flick. Based on Michael Veal's book "Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon," the film has seen Nigerian poet Chris Abani and Focus Features CEO James Schamus...
- 9/16/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Focus Features is developing a drama about famed Nigerian musician/activist Fela Kuti, who was also front and center in the hit Broadway musical "Fela!" "Mother of George" filmmaker Andrew Dosunmu will direct "Fela Kuti," which Focus is describing as a "drama with music," as opposed to a fullblown musical. While the script, which is written by Nigerian poet Chris Albani and Focus Features president James Schamus, based on Michael Veal’s 2000 book "Fela: The Life and Times of An African Musical Icon," is not an adaptation of the Broadway musical, "Fela Kuti" will include original music from the performer himself. Charismatic Fela Kuti, the king of Afrobeat--a fusion of jazz, funk, psychedelic rock, and Yoruba chants and rhythms-- took on Nigeria’s corrupt government in the 1970s, pushing boundaries in art and life. “Fela Kuti lived many lifetimes in just the one," said Schamus and Focus Features Andrew Karpen,...
- 9/16/2013
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Andrew Dosunmu will direct Focus Features' drama Fela Kuti, a biopic about the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician. Based on the source material Michael Veal’s 2000 book Fela: The Life and Times of An African Musical Icon, the film will chronicle the life of Fela, who was not only one of the founders of the musical movement of Afrobeat, a fusion of jazz, funk, psychedelic rock, and Yoruba chants and rhythms, but also pushed boundaries in art and life in the 1970s. Photos: Note Perfect: The 15 Best Portrayals of Musicians in Movies A native of Nigeria, Dosunmu's latest film
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- 9/16/2013
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
British-Nigerian novelist and playwright, Biyi Bandele's name has come up several times on this blog over the last 3 years - he worked with director Steve McQueen on bringing the life of Afro-beat king Fela Kuti to the big screen. The screenplay, based on Michael Veal’s biography Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon, was, when we last reported on it, being written by both Bandele and McQueen. More recently, he also adapted Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Orange Prize-winning novel, Half Of A Yellow Sun, to screenplay, and directed the feature film, with a cast that includes Thandie Newton, John...
- 7/22/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Acclaimed Nigerian Author Chris Abani Now Writing The Script With English helmer Steve McQueen set to begin lensing early next year on the sex addiction drama "Shame" featuring the promising trio of Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan and James Badge Dale, we simply assumed that the project would be trumping the director's planned biopic on afrobeat pioneer and human rights activist Fela Kuti, based on Michael Veal's book "Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon." Speaking with the NY Times though, Focus Features CEO James Schamus has revealed it was in fact budgetary concerns that hindered the development…...
- 12/2/2010
- The Playlist
Chiewetel Ejiofor, one of my favorite actors, has signed on to play Nigerian musician/activist Fela Kuti in director Steve McQueen’s upcoming biopic. The film will be based off of Michael Veal’s book Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon. Fela Kuti was a pioneer in the musical genre known as Afrobeat and formed several bands over the course of his life. Kuti was also known for being critical of the Nigerian government and living a very extravagant lifestyle full of drugs, partying, and mulitple wives. Ejiofor began learning to play the piano and saxophone in preparation for the role while shooting Salt with Angelina Jolie.
Fela Kuti’s life is already the subject of a Broadway play entitled Fela! The Musical. Financed by Shawn “Jay-z” Carter and power couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, the play has been very favorably reviewed and recently received 11 Tony nominations,...
Fela Kuti’s life is already the subject of a Broadway play entitled Fela! The Musical. Financed by Shawn “Jay-z” Carter and power couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, the play has been very favorably reviewed and recently received 11 Tony nominations,...
- 5/11/2010
- by Seaberry
- FusedFilm
Director Steve McQueen (Hunger) is making a movie chronicling the life of legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children Of Men) has just been designated as the actor to play the iconic figure who essentially invented the Afrobeat movement and pioneered the commercialization of Nigerian music.
McQueen has apparently been developing this film at Focus Features for some time, drawing insight from the book Fela: The Life And Times Of An African Musical Icon by Michael Veal. Apparently, Ejiofor has already begun learning to play several musical instruments for the role, and is rumoured to be quite good.
Kuti was widely popular in the 1970's and 80's as not only a musician but a political figure as well. His music combined new takes on traditional African beats with political undertones as his country was ruled by a dictatorship. The role will require the versatility with which Kuti conducted his life,...
McQueen has apparently been developing this film at Focus Features for some time, drawing insight from the book Fela: The Life And Times Of An African Musical Icon by Michael Veal. Apparently, Ejiofor has already begun learning to play several musical instruments for the role, and is rumoured to be quite good.
Kuti was widely popular in the 1970's and 80's as not only a musician but a political figure as well. His music combined new takes on traditional African beats with political undertones as his country was ruled by a dictatorship. The role will require the versatility with which Kuti conducted his life,...
- 5/6/2010
- Screenrush
Director Steve Hunger McQueen has enlisted Chiwetel Ejiofor to play Nigerian musician-slash-activist Fela Kuti in a film about the performer's life. Deadline report that Ejiofor is now “formally attached” to play Kuti in the biopic, which will use Michael Veal’s book Fela: The Life And Times Of An African Musical Icon as its foundation. Kuti is famed for pioneering Afrobeat, for being a human rights activist, and for leading a life that involved everything from politics and music to drugs and hardship. Ejiofor...
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- 5/6/2010
- by Josh Winning
- TotalFilm
Talk about perfect casting. We've mentioned before that Hunger director Steve McQueen is making a film about the life of Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musician / activist who essentially invented Afrobeat. Now there's word that Kuti will be played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Because, really, was there anyone else who could take the part? It's a big week for projects dealing with Fela Kuti, since the Broadway musical Fela! racked up 11 Tony nominations yesterday. And Deadline reports that Ejiofor is "formally attached" to play Kuti in McQueen's film. There was a point where I'd vaguely hoped for an unknown to be cast, but if that's not going to happen there really isn't a more ideal choice than Ejiofor. The film will draw from the book Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon, by Michael Veal. Fela’s history is too detailed and incredible to recount here, but it...
- 5/5/2010
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
With the Broadway musical Fela being the recipient of a whopping 11 Tony nominations, it looks as though the cinematic take on the legendary musician’s life is ramping up.
According to Deadline, actor Chiwetel Ejiofor has been cast as the lead in the upcoming film based on the Michael Veal book, Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon. The film is being directed by Hunger director Steve McQueen, and he will also be co-writing the script with playwright Biyi Bandele.
Read more on Chiwetel Ejiofor cast as Fela Kuti in biopic directed by Steve McQueen…...
According to Deadline, actor Chiwetel Ejiofor has been cast as the lead in the upcoming film based on the Michael Veal book, Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon. The film is being directed by Hunger director Steve McQueen, and he will also be co-writing the script with playwright Biyi Bandele.
Read more on Chiwetel Ejiofor cast as Fela Kuti in biopic directed by Steve McQueen…...
- 5/5/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- GordonandtheWhale
Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Serenity," "2012") is formally attached to play African musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti in the upcoming biopic in development at Focus Features says Deadline New York.
Based on Michael Veal's book, the story follows the life of the late African musician and activist whose music fused American jazz, funk and West African drums.
His personal life was colourful, he had 27 wives, and tragic such as the personal costs for speaking out against oppression in Nigeria. Ejiofor has apparently been learning to play piano and saxophone to prepare for the role.
Though Fela is the subject of the Broadway musical "Fela!" which received 11 Tony nominations yesterday, the musical is not connected to the film project in anyway. Focus however has scored screen rights to Fela's music and his life story, plus Veal's book.
Steve McQueen ("Hunger") is directing from a script he co-wrote with Biyi Bandel. Lydia Pilcher...
Based on Michael Veal's book, the story follows the life of the late African musician and activist whose music fused American jazz, funk and West African drums.
His personal life was colourful, he had 27 wives, and tragic such as the personal costs for speaking out against oppression in Nigeria. Ejiofor has apparently been learning to play piano and saxophone to prepare for the role.
Though Fela is the subject of the Broadway musical "Fela!" which received 11 Tony nominations yesterday, the musical is not connected to the film project in anyway. Focus however has scored screen rights to Fela's music and his life story, plus Veal's book.
Steve McQueen ("Hunger") is directing from a script he co-wrote with Biyi Bandel. Lydia Pilcher...
- 5/5/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Late last year it was announced that Hunger director Steve McQueen (not the actor) would next direct a biopic about the African musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who already has a Broadway musical about him (which picked up 11 Tony Award nominations this morning). In addition to that news, Deadline has confirmed that actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (left above - last seen in 2012 and Redbelt) has officially been tapped to play Fela in McQueen's biopic, titled just Fela. Ejiofor has already been learning to play piano and saxophone in preparation for the role and is taking this very seriously. Focus Features is developing. Separate from the musical, Focus secured rights last year that include Fela's music and his life story as well as Michael Veal's book "Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon." For those that don't know, Fela was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer,...
- 5/5/2010
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
As previously mentioned on this blog, Hunger director Steve McQueen is currently working on bringing the life of Afro-beat king Fela Kuti to the big screen. The screenplay, which will be based on Michael Veal’s biography Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon, is being written by both McQueen and British-Nigerian novelist and playwright, Biyi Bandele.
We all know who Steve McQueen is at this point. But who is Biyi Bandele.
Here’s a brief bio:
Biyi Bandele was born in Nigeria in 1967, and now lives in London, where he’s been since 1990. He’s written several plays, and worked with the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as writing radio drama and screenplays for television. He was a Judith E. Wilson Fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge from 2000-2002, and Royal Literary Fund Resident Playwright at Bush Theatre from 2002-2003.
His plays...
We all know who Steve McQueen is at this point. But who is Biyi Bandele.
Here’s a brief bio:
Biyi Bandele was born in Nigeria in 1967, and now lives in London, where he’s been since 1990. He’s written several plays, and worked with the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as writing radio drama and screenplays for television. He was a Judith E. Wilson Fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge from 2000-2002, and Royal Literary Fund Resident Playwright at Bush Theatre from 2002-2003.
His plays...
- 2/25/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Nair's on Fire
The latest film to burst into a Broadway and West End musical is Monsoon Wedding, Mira Nair's Golden Lion winner at Venice in 2001. Nair will direct the musical version in 2011 and is currently overseeing the musical numbers being adapted from the film's bestselling soundtrack. She is collaborating with the producers of another film-to-stage hit, Hairspray. "I haven't directed for the theatre since I was a student," Mira told me on a short visit to Bafta in London last week. "This will be a new challenge but one of the most exciting things I've done for years." Meanwhile the director, whose latest film, Amelia, is still in cinemas, is also working on a controversial film adaptation of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the Booker-nominated novel by Mohsin Hamid.
Fela's the Fella
Continuing the theme of interdisciplinary mix, Turner prize winner Steve McQueen will follow his multi award winning film debut Hunger with Fela,...
The latest film to burst into a Broadway and West End musical is Monsoon Wedding, Mira Nair's Golden Lion winner at Venice in 2001. Nair will direct the musical version in 2011 and is currently overseeing the musical numbers being adapted from the film's bestselling soundtrack. She is collaborating with the producers of another film-to-stage hit, Hairspray. "I haven't directed for the theatre since I was a student," Mira told me on a short visit to Bafta in London last week. "This will be a new challenge but one of the most exciting things I've done for years." Meanwhile the director, whose latest film, Amelia, is still in cinemas, is also working on a controversial film adaptation of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the Booker-nominated novel by Mohsin Hamid.
Fela's the Fella
Continuing the theme of interdisciplinary mix, Turner prize winner Steve McQueen will follow his multi award winning film debut Hunger with Fela,...
- 12/13/2009
- by Jason Solomons
- The Guardian - Film News
Steve McQueen ("Hunger") is set to direct the biopic "Fela" for Focus Features reports Variety.
Based on Michael Veal's book, the story follows the life of the late African musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti whose music fused American jazz, funk and West African drums.
His personal life was colourful, he had 27 wives, and tragic such as the personal costs for speaking out against oppression in Nigeria.
Though Fela is the subject of the recently opened Broadway musical "Fela!", the musical is not connected to the film project in anyway. Focus however has scored screen rights to Fela's music and his life story, plus Veal's book.
McQueen will write the script with Biyi Bandel. Lydia Pilcher and Leigh Blake are producing.
Based on Michael Veal's book, the story follows the life of the late African musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti whose music fused American jazz, funk and West African drums.
His personal life was colourful, he had 27 wives, and tragic such as the personal costs for speaking out against oppression in Nigeria.
Though Fela is the subject of the recently opened Broadway musical "Fela!", the musical is not connected to the film project in anyway. Focus however has scored screen rights to Fela's music and his life story, plus Veal's book.
McQueen will write the script with Biyi Bandel. Lydia Pilcher and Leigh Blake are producing.
- 12/8/2009
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Steve McQueen ("Hunger") is set to direct the biopic "Fela" for Focus Features reports Variety.
Based on Michael Veal's book, the story follows the life of the late African musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti whose music fused American jazz, funk and West African drums.
His personal life was colourful, he had 27 wives, and tragic such as the personal costs for speaking out against oppression in Nigeria.
Though Fela is the subject of the recently opened Broadway musical "Fela!", the musical is not connected to the film project in anyway. Focus however has scored screen rights to Fela's music and his life story, plus Veal's book.
McQueen will write the script with Biyi Bandel. Lydia Pilcher and Leigh Blake are producing.
Based on Michael Veal's book, the story follows the life of the late African musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti whose music fused American jazz, funk and West African drums.
His personal life was colourful, he had 27 wives, and tragic such as the personal costs for speaking out against oppression in Nigeria.
Though Fela is the subject of the recently opened Broadway musical "Fela!", the musical is not connected to the film project in anyway. Focus however has scored screen rights to Fela's music and his life story, plus Veal's book.
McQueen will write the script with Biyi Bandel. Lydia Pilcher and Leigh Blake are producing.
- 12/8/2009
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
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