Chee Keong Cheung’s ‘Son of the Soil’ Expands International Run to Amazon UK and Ireland

Following its award-winning festival run, international theatrical releases, and Netflix Africa debut, the Nigerian action thriller continues its global expansion with a UK and Ireland Amazon.

The film will be distributed in the UK and Ireland through Trinity Content and Action Xtreme.

Directed by British-Chinese filmmaker Chee Keong Cheung, ‘Son of the Soil’ stars Razaaq Adoti as Zion Ladejo, a former Nigerian Special Ops paratrooper who returns to Nigeria following a personal tragedy. His homecoming draws him into a confrontation with a criminal underworld, forcing him to rely on skills from his former life.

The film has previously screened at festivals in Nigeria and internationally and has secured awards and nominations during its festival run. Its reported wins include Best Overall Film, Best Director and Best International Showcase at the Black Star International Film Festival, as well as the Audience Choice Award at the African International Film Festival (AFRIFF).

It has also received recognition at the Best of Nollywood Awards, the International Black and Diversity Film Festival in Canada and the Black Film Summit in the United States.

‘Son of the Soil’ later expanded into streaming, including a Netflix Africa release earlier this year. Action Xtreme currently lists the film as having reached No. 1 on Netflix Nigeria.

The cast also includes Patience Ozokwo, Ireti Doyle, Taye Arimoro, Sunshine Rosman, Damilola Ogunsi, Philip Asaya, Ijelu Folajimi and Sharon Rotimi.

Cheung, who previously directed the action zombie feature ‘Redcon-1’, said the Amazon release gives UK audiences an opportunity to discover the film following its festival and theatrical run.

“We set out to make a Nigerian action thriller that could connect with audiences far beyond its country of origin, without losing the identity and authenticity that make the story unique,” Cheung said.

Moses Babatope, CEO of Nile Group, said the film was made with the intention of presenting an African story within the conventions of international genre filmmaking.

“Son of the Soil was created with the ambition to show that African stories can deliver the scale, excitement and production values audiences expect from international genre entertainment,” Babatope said.

The film was developed and produced by Action Xtreme in association with Lagos-based Boxonia Blueprint. Nile Entertainment handled its African distribution under a first-look deal.

The Amazon UK and Ireland release follows a broader expansion of Action Xtreme’s activities in African action filmmaking. In July, Action Xtreme announced a partnership with Idris Elba’s 22Summers and Nile Media Entertainment Group to develop a slate of action films originating from West Africa. Cheung is attached to direct the first film in the slate.

‘Son of the Soil’ will be available to stream on Amazon in the UK and Ireland from September 19.