''The CEO'' is a 2016 Nigerian film directed by Kunle Afolayan, starring Kemi Lala Akindoju,

Hilda Dokubo Hilda Dokubo is a Nigerian award-winning film actress, activist and youth advocate who once served as special adviser on youth affairs to Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers State. Early life and education Hilda Dokubo was born as the firs ...

, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Angélique Kidjo and

Wale Ojo Wale Ojo is a British Nigerian actor. He started as a child actor in television. He subsequently continued acting roles in the UK and Nigeria. He came into prominence in 1995 for his role in '' The Hard Case''. He won the award for Best Actor ...

. The film premiered at the

Eko Hotels and Suites Eko Hotels and Suites is a five-star conference centre hotel in Lagos. 09161518010 History Established in 1977 as ''Èkó Holiday Inn'' and built on Victoria Island, it is the largest hotel in Nigeria. It was designed by architect Oluwole Olumu ...

on July 10, 2016. The film was screened at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

. The London premiere was held in October 2016 at Leicester Square Vue Cinema.

Cast

* Kemi Lala Akindoju as Lisa *

as Superintendent Ebenezer * Jimmy Jean-Louis as Jean-marc * Angélique Kidjo as Dr. Zara Zimmerman *

as Kola *

Peter Nzioki Peter King Nzioki Mwania (born 25 May 1978), popularly known as Peter King, is a Kenyan actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''The Constant Gardener'', ''The Fifth Estate'' and ''Sense8''. Personal life Nzioki was born on 25 May 19 ...

as Jomo *Rico Panagio as Riikard *Aurelie Eliam as Eloise *Fatym Layachi as Yasmin *Feige as Mr. Cheng *Allen Wu as M. Cheng's Associate *Vivian Chenxue Lu as Mr. Cheng's Associate *Ainea Ojiambo as Hakeem *Olabode Tokosi as Alaye *Alexandros Konstrantaras as Bermudez *Adekunle Gold as Musician *Leah Moyo as Becky

Plot

Five of the top members of a company are sent to a retreat and told one of them will become the new CEO. The cordial atmosphere quickly turns into a competition to see who can outdo all the others.

Reception

Chioma Nwanna of '' BellaNaija'' praised the production, casting and location of the film. She noted in her review that the grammatical correctness in the dialogue by

Tade Ogidan Akintade Ogidan, aka Tade Ogidan (born July, 1960), is a Nigerian film and television screenwriter, producer and director. Early life Born in Lagos, Nigeria, to middle class parents Akinola and Rachael Ogidan, he grew up in Surulere, a suburb ...

was top notch. She went further to say

and

Nico Panagio Nicolaos Panagiotopoulos, professionally known as Nico Panagio, is a South African television presenter, actor, and businessman known for being the host of Survivor South Africa since 2010. He is also known for his previous role on the soap oper ...

playing "Kola Alabi" and Riikard Van Outen respectively was a highpoint in the character depictions of the film but felt Kemi Lala’s role wasn't convincing. She also observed that Afolayan's use of many languages in his films gives a special impression. The trail of mystery murder was identified to shape most Afolayan's movie successfully but, in this case, Nwanna felt the storyline surrounding the deaths wasn't properly orchestrated. It concluded its review by saying "Okay, happy thoughts and positive vibes. It really was a good film. Just wish it cleaned up better. But hey, I could give it a second watch and see how that works out." Chidumga Izuzu of ''Pulse Nigeria'' captioned its review from the description that it was "... a serious film that does not offer the conventional entertainment that most viewers seek from Nollywood movies". It ended with a summary that "The CEO” might not be Afolayan's best work, but it is a highly engaging piece of work that grips your attention for a greater part of it, and has you guessing, asking lots of questions, thinking, and solving mysteries".

YNaija ''YNaija'' is a Nigerian online content publishing platform, founded by Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams of RED Africa media group. ''YNaija'' launched in May 2010 with columnists and various news sources. It offers news, original content an ...

described the lack of awards for the film at 2017

AMVCA ''Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards'' (AMVCA) is an annual accolade presented by MultiChoice recognizing outstanding achievement in television and film. The inaugural Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards ceremony was held in Lagos, Lagos State ...

as a welcome development and something "pleasant".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:CEO, The Nigerian drama films