Maryam Booth Leads Cast in ‘The Kiss of Death’

The production team of the forthcoming feature film, ‘The Kiss of Death’ has in a social media post revealed the cast of the story which examines how cultural and religious issues interplay with our lifestyle.  Principal photography which commenced May 26, 2023 wrapped last Wednesday. Set in the Northern part of Nigeria, it is no surprise the cast list features a preponderance of Northern actors.

With Sani Danja, Maryam Booth, and veteran, Francis Onwochie in the lead, others are Yakubu Muhammed. Moshood Fattah, Emeka Nwagbaraocha, Chidinma Nechi, Yakubu Muhammed, Maryam Ibraham. The movie is collaborative venture between Riverting Integrated Entertainment Limited, True Life Productions, with Optiva Capital Partners as sponsor.

Directed by Terry McMahon, a renowned Irish filmmaker, ‘The Kiss of Death’ tells a tragic-love story that is highly anticipated. Inspired by a true-life situation, the movie revolves around the life of Tony, a young man who finds himself posted to a predominantly Muslim region in northern Nigeria for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Tony’s character embodies the essence of selflessness and compassion, as he goes beyond societal boundaries to help others in need. One fateful day, He encounters Alimah, a Muslim female student suffering from fainting spells due to her anemic condition. Drawing from his own experiences with asthma and breathlessness, Tony instinctively performs mouth-to-mouth therapy (cardiopulmonary resuscitation, known as CPR-an emergency lifesaving procedure) on Alimah.

Unknowingly his kind-hearted act sets off a chain of events with monumental consequences. According to the writer, producer, Leke Akinrowo, in a chat, the movie’s title, ‘The Kiss of Death,’ encapsulates the severe repercussions Tony faces as a result of his well-intentioned act in a culturally different environment. The narrative delves deep into the complexities of cultural and religious dynamics, highlighting the sacrifices one makes in the pursuit of kindness.

Akinrowo noted the choice of a foreign director for the film, saying, “I’ve always wanted to see our indigenous stories through the eyes of foreign practitioners. Think of movies like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘Hotel Rwanda’, ‘The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin’, and so on. Our stories transcend our immediate environment when they’re told by people who are not experiencing our realities directly. Not just us in Africa, but also India, as in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. I would like to see what we can achieve with ‘The Kiss of Death’ with a foreign storyteller handling it.”