Emmanuella Makes Movie Appearance

Nigeria’s child comedian, Emmanuella Samuel (Emmanuella) makes a one-minute appearance in “Survive or Die”, a Walt Disney project, making it her international feature film debut. Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

The Mark Angel’s comedy sensation Emmanuella is in “Survive or Die”, a multiple-award winning action movie as a guest star alongside its major cast Hawa Barnes, Felino Dolloso and Craig Bourke. Co-written and directed by Daniel Okoduwa and Mike Kang, the 1hour 23 seconds action movie, which earlier premiered on Amazon Prime, is such that has made the 10 year-old star proud with her one minute cameo.

Shot in Australia in 2018, ‘Survive Or Die’ follows the story of Shade, a 16-year-old refugee whose escape from her war-torn African country lands her in a remote and uninhabited part of Australia. She must reach civilization whilst fighting for her life in the harsh terrain and from a hunter on a quest for revenge over the death of his son. The young star who has put smiles on the faces of millions had announced via her Instagram page in February 2018 that she has landed a role in a Walt Disney project, posting a picture of herself on set.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the production, Okoduwa said: “Millions of people are displaced across the globe. Many are trapped in wastelands and dead lands; many more have drowned in the seas while fleeing conflict zones. Refugees are crossing borders, making many governments’ nervous, unbalancing internal politics and giving rise to nationalism, racism and xenophobia. As the world becomes more dangerous, doors are shut and walls come up. This movie is based on real life stories and events.

“Many of the scenes in this film are drawn from real life experiences and events. In the 90’s, as a very young boy, by accident or chance, I found myself on a boat in West Africa. We sailed through the Atlantic Ocean for days an experience I can only describe as hell on water. I eventually got lost in the very heart of Africa and continued my journey through central and Southern Africa picking up languages, experiencing different cultures but above all picking up survival skills.”

On featuring Emmanuella Samuel, the Nigerian/Australian director added: “1 million views in just a week!!! The inclusion of Emmanuella Samuel in this movie may be the driving force behind these high views in just a few days (based on the comments).”

The hugely successful character, Emmanuella, made her foray into comedy at the age of five. She became well known after the comedy skit “This is Not My Real Face Oh”, in which she was making jokes about a headmistress to her fellow students without knowing one of the students was the child of the headmistress. This short skit was featured on CNN’s Facebook page.