May 17, 2023

Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria, praises Country-s's fledgling animation industry at Gammy And The Living Things-Premiere.

Last week, the Nigerian animated film Gummy & The Living Things was released at Filmhouse Cinemas on Victoria Island in Lagos.

Gummy and The Living Things is a musical cg animation feature that tells the story of Gummy, an agama lizard with dreams far beyond the boundaries of the local ecosystem. Musician by trade, Gammy wants to take his talent to Lagos and find out if he can make it bigger.

The premiere was attended by the film's writer-director, several crew members, musicians, the main voice cast and Vice President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo.

It's not every day that close heads of state attend animated film screenings, but Gammy & The Living Things is one of Nigeria's first animated films and represents the rapid growth of the country's screen industry.

"This is really, really exciting and I want to congratulate the Utricle Studio and euphoric sound for an excellent performance," Osinbajo said, picking out the film's production company and the music group that wrote the original song featured in Gammy. He also praised his involvement in the early days of feature-length animation in Nigeria and had friendly words to some of the Nigerian film stars who lent their voices to the film.

Writer-director Ikem Isiekwena addressed the audience and explained the ambition of Gammy and his team to produce creatures. "We wanted to create a true classic that fused painting, music, orchestral culture, history, comedy and some social commentary into an interesting masterpiece," he said.

According to Isiekwena, Gammy is not just a gifted reptile. He says that the main character of the film "symbolizes the spirit of the daily dreamer who craves something more than the monotonous routine of ordinary life." He is drawn to the charm and excitement of Lagos, a city that pulsates with possibilities where success and greatness are within reach.”