Olalekan Afolabi’s Award-winning “Freedom Way” Finally Lands in Cinemas July 18th 2025

The award-winning Freedom Way, written and produced by Blessing Uzzi through her company, Bluhouse Studios, and directed by Olalekan Afolabi, will begin screening in cinemas across Nigeria on July 18, 2025. 

Freedom Way is a gripping portrait of survival, ambition, and consequence in a society under strain. As a wave of harsh government policies disrupts everyday life, nine strangers find themselves caught in the middle. As pressure mounts, their lives begin to intersect in unexpected ways, forcing each of them to confront what they’re willing to risk to survive. 

Starring Debo ‘Mr Macaroni’ Adedayo, and Femi Jacobs, the drama made headlines at this year’s Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), where it won Best Film and Best Writing. It also received nominations for Best Sound Design, Best Music, and Best Supporting Actor for Jacobs. The ensemble cast also includes Mike Afolarin, Bimbo Akintola, Akin Lewis, Ogranya Jable Osai, Meg Otanwa, Jesse Suntele, Teniola Aladese, and Tiwalola Adebola-Walter. 

After a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2024, Freedom Way went on to screen at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), where it won the Jury Prize. It also screened at the New York African Film Festival and Red Sea International Film Festival. 

“It feels really good, surreal, for Freedom Way to finally be screening in Nigerian cinemas,” said Uzzi, who won the AMVCA award for writing the film. “I’m excited to see how people receive it here, where it matters most.” Uzzi began writing the film after witnessing events similar to those it depicts. “It felt like a way to process what I saw, but more than that, I believed others could see themselves in it. I wanted it to be relatable, to resonate.” 

For Afolabi, making his directorial feature debut, Freedom Way is deeply personal. “It’s an important story. I’ve been in similar situations like we have in the film and I’m certain that millions of Nigerians can relate to these situations,” he said. More than anything, he hopes the film gets people talking. “I want it to inspire conversations. If it does that, then we’ve done our job.” 

Freedom Way is distributed by Genesis Pictures and opens nationwide on July 18.