Jade Osiberu Makes Wave with ‘Gangs of Lagos’

Those who know Jade Osiberu, a renowned and prolific movie director, say she is someone full of ideas. This, undoubtedly, is not a fulsome praise, if you consider the fact that she is the creative mind behind the much- awaited ‘Gangs of Lagos’ that premiered on Prime Video,  Amazon Original Movie on April 7 to its huge viewership after a long series of intensive promotions, campaigns and global awareness across media platforms and billboards.

The movie is a high-stakes, gritty, and hard-hitting action crime-thriller, with an authentic storyline centred on a group of childhood friends who each have to navigate destiny, growing up on the bustling streets and neighbourhood of Isale Eko, Lagos.

Revealing a short teaser for the film at a media briefing just before its release,  Osiberu who directed the movie shared, “I’m thrilled to be introducing the audiences to this epic storyline and A-List talent from Nigeria with the launch of Gangs of Lagos.

“It’s a great opportunity to elevate Nigerian stories on a global scale with Prime Video. I asked myself, what it would feel like to be born into this life. Isale-Eko is very unique in the sense that it is very dense and highly populated while also being surrounded by a lot of wealth. I wanted to know what it felt like to be born there, to want to leave, to have dreams of a better life and struggle for that.”

She added that the story is not inspired by anyone in particular but by the Lagos society and the idea of humanising ‘area boys’ and dealing with circumstances larger than them.

Ned Mitchell, head of African and Middle East Originals, Prime Video, pointed that, “At Prime Video, we are looking to work with original voices to create spectacular stories and events that audiences can connect with wherever they may be.”

Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, head of Nigerian Originals, Prime Video, added that, “As the first Nigerian Original to launch on Prime Video, Gangs of Lagos sets the tone and standard, with the authentically Nigerian storyline in a genre that is so popular around the globe, making it a movie for our audiences at home and abroad.”