Iyabo Ojo is always known for creating buzz whenever an opportunity presents itself. And she was at it again during the week, when she attended the world premiere of ‘The Beads’, an H-Debay Production film at Filmhouse IMAX Cinema, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The outspoken actress stormed the venue, in an open-chest local fabric, revealing some succulent flesh that got everyone talking about her outfit. She looked effortlessly stylish as she posed for the paparazzi. The colourful ceremony was attended by cast, crew and movie lovers who strutted the red carpet in various flairs of traditional outfits accessorized by beads of different shades and hues.
Interestingly, Iyabo was one of the cast of the movie that also had other elegantly dressed stars who featured in the movie in attendance. They included Zainab Balogun who was lead cast, Efa Iwara, Idowu ‘Iya Rainbow’ Philips, Bimbo Manuel, Ronke Oshodi, Juliana Oloyede, Tina Mba and Jammal Ibrahim, Akinbayo Morakinyo, producer and Moyin Sage as director. Others are Bridgett Adebayo, Stephanie Zibilli, Temitope Aremu, Ogwo Blessing Chidima, Caroline Igbe, Rebecca Adelakun, Damilola Omotoso and Bianca Ugowanne. The movie started showing on Amazon Prime last Friday.
The Beads directed by Moyin Sage is a magical thriller that tells the story of the wedding day of a bride-to-be that ends up being her day of death as she fights for her life in a journey through the tangled web of human emotions.
Speaking about the movie, the producer, Akinayo Morakinyo, said, “The Beads’ celebrates our culture and centres around the popular mystical local accessory. We expect the movie to evoke curiosity for a deep dive and spark conversation, querying if the mystery about the story of Ranti exists in real life. That mental and verbal interrogation is one of the hallmarks of filmmaking.
Also speaking from a director’s point of view, Moyin Sage said, “It has pushed us this far and it will continue to push us forward if we continue to highlight our culture through the lens of filmmaking. That’s what the world wants to see. They don’t want us to copy and appropriate alien cultures. The more we do that, the better for us as an industry.”
Digging up the morals of the film, Zainab Balogun, Lead actress noted, “we only have one life and one chance. There’s no second chance or opportunity to come back and do life again. So whatever we do now, we must make sure we are intentional and do it well. Most importantly, we must make sure that we are at peace with the choices that we make.”
Olaitan Ibrahim