By Ayo Onikoyi

Award-winning filmmaker and AMVCA winner, Ekene Som Mekwunye, is stepping into new creative territory with his latest film Ewo, in partnership with Saidi Balogun and Fulfilment Fuchi Nwaturuoch. The film, a culturally rich Yoruba-language epic is. set to debut in cinemas across Nigeria on July 18, 2025.

In a bold move that bridges ethnic and linguistic divides, Mekwunye, an Igbo filmmaker, takes the directorial reins of a deeply Yoruba story—a feat he describes as both “natural” and deeply personal.

At the heart of Ewo is a compelling tale of loss, taboo, and cultural reckoning. The film tells the story of a kingdom thrown into chaos after its king dies and the queen absconds with his corpse. The kingdom must recover the body before sunset to perform sacred rites and crown a successor—or face a dreaded ancestral curse.

Mekwunye reveals that the story was inspired by real-life events surrounding the death of Oba Lipede, the Alake of Egbaland, in 2005. “It was said that his youngest wife fled with his corpse,” he recalls. “I came across this account about ten years ago and it simply wouldn’t leave my head. By 2018, I started working on the treatment and wrote the screenplay afterwards.”

The film’s title, Ewo, meaning “taboo” in Yoruba, encapsulates the cultural and spiritual weight of the story. According to Mekwunye, the queen’s alleged actions violated Yoruba royal customs, which hold that a king’s body, upon death, becomes the collective heritage of the ancestors and the people—not personal property. The incident sparked deep spiritual fears, challenging the legitimacy of succession and symbolizing a broader cultural conflict between tradition and modern religious practices.

“This clash between Christianity and traditional beliefs,” Mekwunye says, “raised questions about the erosion of cultural values in a modernizing society.”

A Cast Steeped in Language and Heritage

To bring the film’s vision to life, Mekwunye assembled a star-studded cast of some of Nollywood’s finest, including Bimbo Ademoye, Ademola Adedoyin, Moyo Lawal, Taiwo ‘Ogogo’ Hassan, Saidi Balogun, Jaiye Kuti, Tina Mba, Akin Lewis, Yinka Quadri, Dele Odule, Kunle Coker, and Osareme Inegbenebor.

The casting was intentional. “I needed actors who not only spoke Yoruba fluently but could embody its emotional depth, cadence, and cultural resonance,” he explains. “These were characters who needed to feel real, timeless, and spiritually grounded.”

The film was co-produced by Saidi Balogun and Fulfilment Fuchi Nwaturuocha, with cinematography by Richmond Amechi. Mekwunye himself wrote and directed the project.

An Igbo Man’s Love Letter to Yoruba Culture

Directing a Yoruba film as an Igbo man may seem unusual to some, but for Mekwunye, the experience was instinctive. “Film speaks in emotions, not just language,” he says. “This story needed to be told in Yoruba because it breathes in that language—it lives in its proverbs, rhythm, and ancestral weight.”

Mekwunye’s connection to Yoruba culture is far from superficial. “My mother has lived in Lagos most of her life and speaks Yoruba fluently. I also speak it, and I’ve lived in Lagos all my life. I’m married to a Yoruba woman—we’ve been together for nearly 14 years. So this didn’t feel foreign. It felt like coming home.”

He believes deeply in the importance of preserving language in storytelling: “Ẹ̀dá tí a kò bá sọ ní ede rẹ̀, ẹnìkan ò ní mọ̀ pé ó wà,” he says—a Yoruba proverb meaning “A creation not told in its own language may never be truly known to exist.”

Ambitious Production with a Purpose

With a budget of over ₦200 million, Ewo was no small undertaking. Pre-production spanned five months and involved detailed casting, location scouting in Abeokuta, and authentic cultural research. Principal photography was completed over two intense weeks in October 2024, followed by six months of post-production.

Mekwunye describes the production process as rigorous yet fulfilling, aimed at creating not just a movie, but a cultural artifact.

As the July release date approaches, Ewo promises to deliver more than entertainment—it offers a profound journey into Yoruba heritage through the lens of a filmmaker who, while not born of the culture, has embraced and honored it with respect and cinematic mastery.

With Ewo, Ekene Som Mekwunye doesn’t just cross cultural boundaries—he dissolves them, reminding us that storytelling, at its best, is a bridge that connects us all.