Play Network Studios Set for ‘Hijack 93’

Ferdinand  Ekechukwu

Mostly known for remakes of old Nollywood movies, Play Network Studios maybe doing something fresh and different this time with a feature film currently being shot. The film project is based on a plane hijack of 1993. Play Network is behind reworks of Nollywood titles like Nneka the Pretty Serpent, Living in Bondage: Breaking Free, Rattle Snake: The Ahanna Story and, recently Glamour Girls.

As implied, the film follows the story of the striking event of October 25, 1993 which saw four Nigerian young men commandeer a Nigerian Airways airplane enroute Abuja from Lagos and forced its pilots to land in Niger Republic post the failed June 12 elections. Though they did not succeed in their quest, they were imprisoned, almost 30 years later the story is being told in motion pictures.

Charles Okpaleke of Play Networks Studios shared some exciting behind-the-scenes (BTS) photos from the set of the film, given its official title as ‘Hijack 93: The Mad Men & The Aircraft’.  The new images offer a closer look at the cast of the upcoming project which recently kicked off principal photography. Produced by Rogers Ofime and Agozie Ugwu, and directed by Robert O. Peters.

The cast includes Sharon Ooja and Nancy Isime, who play air hostesses alongside their other female complements – Idia Aisien and Jemima Osunde. Efa Iwara takes on the role of co-pilot alongside Ghanaian John Dumelo. In one of his Instagram posts, Okpaleke revealed that the actors had to attend aviation school for three months to prepare for the role.

The film is supported by the British Film Institute (BFI). Collaboration between Play Networks Studios and Native Media, ‘Hijack 93: The Mad Men & the Aircraft’ first made headlines in 2021.