Nigerian singer and songwriter, Tiwatope Savage, known professionally as Tiwa Savage, is set to make her feature film debut as a lead actor in ‘Water and Garri’.
The multiple award-winning afrobeats artiste shared the news on Wednesday on her official Instagram page.
- Advertisement -
Tiwa Savage hinted that the feature film will be out soon after African production company Unbound Studios and its subsidiary JM Films have wrapped principal photography.
“This is about to be an ICONIC moment. My first lead role as an actor and Executive producer
Directed by the GOAT @mejialabi. Water And Garri the Film Coming soon,” she posted.
This debut role is coming after the singer released her ‘Water and Garri’ EP in 2021.
The 43-year-old singer who doubles as the executive producer of the feature film through her “Everything Savage” company also wrote and performed the film’s original soundtrack.
Shot in the city of Cape Coast in Ghana, the film casts Savage as a fashion designer with a budding career in the US who returns to her home in Africa to confront the guilt she left behind.
- Advertisement -
Savage is joined by Mike Afolarin, Andrew Bunting and Jemima Osunde as the cast of ‘Water and Garri’.
The movie is written by Comfort Emmanuel, directed by Meji Alabi and produced by Unbound’s Jimi Adesanya. Alabi and Adesanya also serve as executive producers, along with Vannessa Amadi-Ogbonna.
- Advertisement -
Speaking on her debut role, Tiwa Savage said it is an honour working with the team for her debut role.
“This project was a complete labour of love that has been a dream of mine for a number of years. Performing as Aisha allowed me to be totally vulnerable and pushed me to express myself in a way that I’ve never done before. It was an honour to share my debut as an actress with Meji whilst filming on the African continent with a cast and crew that I have immense admiration and respect for. I’m excited for the world to see this film.”
The director of the new feature film, Meji Alabi said the new film project is a way for him and Tiwa Savage to explore beyond music projects.
“Working with Tiwa Savage and the team on Water and Garri was an incredible experience. We’ve worked together on multiple music projects over the years and this film was a perfect progression of our creative growth and shared vision of exploring beyond boundaries. It’s such an exciting story and Tiwa nailed her debut as a lead actress amongst an incredible supporting cast. Looking forward to sharing this film with the world.”
The producer, Jimi Adesanya said the number of talents in the Nollywood industry is increasing.
- Advertisement -
“Proud to have produced this incredible film with a talented collective from crew to cast. Both Tiwa Savage, as lead actor, and Meji Alabi, as film director, delivered a powerful debut, alongside our amazing support cast, who truly captured the depth within the story. Our goal is to produce film and TV projects that will level the playing field to collaborate and build high-quality content with both indigenous and major players in succession. The Nollywood industry is very exciting right now with a continuing burst of talent and more distribution access, so we look forward to playing our part to move the needle even further.”
