''Soul Diaspora'' is a 2009 film written and directed by Odera Ozoka. The film received three nominations at the

6th Africa Movie Academy Awards The 6th Africa Movie Academy Awards ceremony was held on 10 April 2010 at the Gloryland Cultural Center in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, to honor the best African films of 2009. The nominees were announced on 6 March 2010 at the Mensvic Grand ...

in 2010 for ''Best Actor in a Leading Role'', ''Best film by an African Filmmaker in Diaspora'', and ''AMAA Achievement in Sound'', winning the award for ''Best film by an African Filmmaker in Diaspora''. In addition, the film won the ''Audience Favorite Award'' at the 2010 Pan African Film Festival in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Plot

The story depicts Saidu ( Sadiq Abu), a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

living in

who is forced to overcome sleepless nights of his tormented past in Africa. The audience finds him alone in this modern world, often hearing voices in his head, sometimes not even his, as the film interweaves color and black and white to illustrate this protagonist's conflicted behavior and tortured mental state. Saidu's "life's path" brings him to working less than

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

at a mechanic shop, forging little by little a

friendship Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept o ...

with a sixteen-year-old Afghani-American, Reza ( Kristian Steel), the son of the shop's friendly owner. Yet, even then, the mysterious Saidu is unable to fully overcome his alienation and loneliness. He soon meets and bonds with a

stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...

, Latisha ( Mimi Vasser), after frequenting the same bar. During the film, the audience meets an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

named Tyrone ( Serge Eustache) who may not share Saidu's morality, but is confronted with internal troubles. He is embroiled in a seamy

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...

with Saidu's encounter, Latisha and another woman, Lori ( Maggie Maki), whom he has no feelings for but seems unable-or rather unwilling to rid himself of. All the characters' souls are stripped to the core by one searing (and national) event, which give them all fresh perspective.

Cast

*Sadiq Abu *Kristian Steel *Mimi Vasser *Clotilde Delavennat *Brendan Jackson *Maggie Maki *Serge Eustache *Donald Ajluni

References

External links

* * 2009 films Best Film by an African Living Abroad Africa Movie Academy Award winners 2000s English-language films American drama films {{Africa-film-stub