Tiwa Savage will play the lead role in her executively produced feature film, Water and Garri, which is set for release on Prime Video across 240 countries and territories in 2024.
Water and Garri is named after Tiwa Savage’s second EP which was released in 2021. The five-track EP explores love and self-rediscovery, which are similar themes in the anticipated film.
The drama follows the story of Aisha, an ambitious fashion designer who returns home from the U.S. to the shocking discovery that things have fallen apart. Amidst the tensions, she reunites with family and loved ones, faces the guilt she left behind, and adjusts to her new realities.
The film is shot in Cape Coast, Ghana, and it stars Jemima Osunde and Mike Afolarin (both Nigerians), and Ghanaian actor Andrew Bunting.
“Audiences around the world are looking for well-made, contemporary African stories, and Water and Garri delivers that with a fresh perspective,” said Ayanna Lonian, Prime Video’s Director of Content Acquisition. “Both Meji Alabi, as film director, and Tiwa Savage, as the lead, have truly delivered a stellar debut alongside the rest of the incredibly talented cast and crew.”
Water and Garri, Tiwa Savage claims, “has been over two years in the making and I must say this is probably one of the most adventurous, fulfilling things I’ve done.”
The film is the collaborative effort of Everything Savage (Tiwa Savage’s production company), Unbound Studios, and JM Films. The film is written by Comfort Emmanuel (Loyalty or Lies, The Inside Joke), produced by Jimi Adesanya (Black is King), and edited and directed by Meji Alabi. Meji Alabi directed the music videos of Tiwa Savage’s Dangerous Love and 49-99, and has worked with some of the country’s biggest Afrobeats acts such as Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid and DJ Tunez.