Kehinde Bankole, one of Nollywood’s most versatile actresses, plays one of the most amazing black women, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti in the highly awaited biopic The Lioness of Lisabi.
Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, MON, is regarded as one of Africa’s greatest female leaders. She was a Nigerian political campaigner, educator, women’s rights activist, and suffragist who fought for women’s rights with tenacity. She made it possible for women to vote and hold positions of power in politics.
Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria and Africa, and the mother of Afro-Beat Icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Kehinde Bankole’s adaptability and role interpretation earned her the part of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, putting her ahead of other actresses. She will be working alongside veteran actress Joke Silva, one of her most admired senior colleague who plays older Funmilayo.
Other famous Nollywood actors who appear in the film include Omowunmi Dada, Ibrahim Suleiman, and Shawn Faqua, as well as some of the best Yoruba veteran actors and members of the Kuti family, including Yeni Kuti.
Bolanle Austen-Peters, a multiple award-winning director, has obtained the rights to make Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the first and much-anticipated biopic from the Kuti family. The director had said “We wanted to build a legacy project, so we went for authentic items”
The highly awaited biopic, titled ‘Funmilayo: The Lioness of Lisabi,’ is set to release in 2022.
