Lady Laide Films (LLF) held the ‘Hotel Labamba’ media screening for Biodun Stephen and Laide Daramola’s upcoming comedy-drama thriller, on Thursday, April 27, at Ebonylife Place, Victoria Island, Lagos. LLF hosted the Hotel Labamba screening for stars and professionals in the Nigerian film industry.
Key cast members including Lilian Afegbai, Sir Dee, Kachi Nnochiri, Etinosa Idemudia, Bolaji Ogunmola, Tomiwa Sage, Tracey George, and a number of dignitaries attended the screening, which was hosted by Tomiwa Sage.
“The cast of the film was handpicked for each role [and there were no casting calls], and the lovely thing was seeing them evolve and redesign each role to fit the style and feel of the movie,” said Laide Daramola, the executive producer, speaking at the event.
Also, Director Biodun Stephen said, “my experiences shape the storyline of my movies, which is what makes them very relatable and exciting to watch. The story of Hotel Labamba, started from a conversation with a friend about slay queens and Yahoo boys, and I’m happy to have been a part of this movie.”
She continued to explain that the project is a reminder that not all stories are always as they seem. Based on a true story, Hotel Labamba follows Big Berry (Lateef Adedimeji), an alleged yahoo boy who was lynched in Ikorodu, Lagos, after a popular Instagram influencer was found dead in his hotel room.
The movie features elaborate set pieces, investigative scenes, engaging dialogue, balanced by an exciting comedy and relatable story at its core. Starring A-list actors like Lateef Adedimeji, Bimbo Ademoye, Bolaji Ogunmola, Blessing Jessica Obasi, Femi Adebayo. Hotel Lambaba is directed by Biodun Stephen and produced by Laide Daramola.
The film is a convincing murder mystery with comical undertones. There were lots of layers and misdirection which made it difficult to guess or predict the killer. The character development was great and was easy to know each character’s uniqueness and idiosyncrasies and care for them before going halfway into the film. Even though there are a lot of characters, it did not feel crowded and everyone was given enough time to develop. The third act and the culmination of the film was satisfactory.
Adedimeji’s character, Big Berry, is very refreshing and effortlessly hilarious. He is able to diffuse and make us temporarily forget the urgency of the situation. Blessing Jessica Obasi-Nze and Bimbo Ademoye’s characters have the best synergy in the film and their differences perfectly complement each other.
Finally, as with every Biodun Stephen film, this also has a lesson. The executive producer, Daramola also announced that it will premiere on an undisclosed global streaming service, in June 2023, and will be distributed by Cinemax.
