Daniel Oriahi’s The Weekend makes official selection for BFI London Film Festival

The Weekend was earlier selected for the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

Nollywood film, The Weekend directed by Daniel Oriahi has been officially selected to screen at the 68th edition of the BFI Film Festival in London which will be held from October 9, to October 20, 2024.

The lineup includes 255 titles including features, shorts, series and immersive works hailing from 80 countries and featuring 64 languages.

Following the premier of his new feature on August 30, 2024, and its ₦ 8 million naira achievement in box office, Oriahi took to his instagram to share the news.

“I am deeply honoured and proud to announce that The Weekend has been officially selected to screen at the 2024 BFI London Film Festival, the largest film festival in the UK. This selection comes as The Weekend continues to break box office records for its genre in Nollywood. The Weekend will be showcased in the BFI (LFF) Cult Section alongside some of the most anticipated thrillers and horror films of the fall season. I am equally thrilled to join the ranks of extraordinary new wave Nigerian filmmakers like @kennethgyang @fierycj @abbatmakama @mikegouken @damiorimogunje and @chukoesiri , whose works have graced past editions of this prestigious festival,” he said.

Oriahi’s journey in filmmaking began with his debut feature, Misfit, a psychological horror film created on a shoestring budget. He has other works to his credit including his 2015 Taxi Driver: Oke Ashewo and his 2018 film Sylvia. Among numerous submissions, his comeback movie, The Weekend stood out, making the final selections at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Notably, It was the only Nollywood film screened at the international festival this year.

The Weekend is a psychological thriller that follows Nikiya Talabi an orphan girl, yearning for family, who visits her fiancée’s seemingly idyllic family and discovers their sinister secret. The cast includes Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Bucci Franklin, Meg Otanwa, Keppy Ekpeyong Bassey, Gloria Anozie-Young and Damilola Ogunsi.