Samuel’s Cross – Nigerian Action Thriller Seeks International Co-Production Finance

The Project:

Hook:

A priest on his way to resign from the church. A bus ambush. A young girl carrying information that could change everything.
Faith, survival, and the politics of a nation — colliding in real time.

Concept:

An action thriller rooted in the Nigerian experience — tense, character-driven, and built around a moral dilemma that crosses cultural and religious lines with universal force.
The tone is intense and suspenseful, with the emotional depth of a redemption story underneath the surface genre. Think faith-under-pressure thriller with the kind of grounded authenticity that travels.

Format:

Feature Film · Action Thriller · Drama · Nigerian Production · English Language
Franchise: Standalone – with strong festival rollout and multi-window distribution strategy already mapped.

Comparables:

His House (Netflix) · critically acclaimed African genre film with global platform placement
Gangs of Lagos (Prime Video) · Nigerian action thriller · premium streaming acquisition
The Weekend (2024) · Tribeca Film Festival selection · 4 AMAA wins including Best Film · Trino Motion Pictures production

What’s Ready:

Production Status:

✓ Screenplay complete
✓ Director attached — Daniel Oriahi (The Weekend, Tribeca 2024 · Sylvia, TIFF selection)
✓ Lead actor proposed — Sope Dirisu (Gangs of London, His House, My Father’s Shadow — Cannes 2024)
✓ Full production and marketing budget complete
✓ Festival strategy mapped — Venice (world premiere target) through TIFF, BFI, AFRIFF
✓ Full deck available on request

The Team:

Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju — Producer. Credits include Prime Video’s Gangs of Lagos, Netflix’s The Black Book, Disney’s Emmy-nominated Iwájú, and BFI’s My Father’s Shadow — the first Nigerian film officially selected at Cannes.
Uche Okocha — Co-Producer. Two-time African Movie Academy Award winner. Managing Director of Trino Motion Pictures. Credits include The Weekend (Tribeca 2024), The Razz Guy, Three Thieves, and Sylvia.
Daniel Oriahi — Director. Award-winning Nigerian director. The Weekend (Tribeca 2024, 4 AMAA wins including Best Film). Sylvia (TIFF selection). Founder of House5 Production.
Trino Motion Pictures — Production Company. Lagos-based film production and sales company, founded 2016. Films distributed on Netflix, Prime Video, Canal+, DSTV, and airlines globally. The Weekend is the first independently produced Nigerian film selected at Tribeca Film Festival.

The Opportunity:

The Ask:

International co-production finance sought
Open to: Co-production · Equity investment · Pre-sale · Gap finance
Full budget and investment structure available on request.

Why Now:

African genre cinema is at an inflection point. The Weekend proved that a Nigerian independent thriller can compete at Tribeca, win at the AMAAs, and reach global platforms. Samuel’s Cross is built on that same infrastructure — same studio, same director, stronger cast, and a story with clear crossover appeal across faith-based, action, and diaspora audiences.
The distribution network is already in place. The festival strategy is ready. The financing is the missing piece.

De-Risked From Day One:

— Director with Tribeca and TIFF credits already attached
— Distribution partners confirmed across four territories
— Trino Motion Pictures has active relationships with Netflix, Prime Video, Canal+, and DSTV
— Faith-based audience segment provides built-in marketing channel alongside mainstream release
— Full festival-to-streaming rollout strategy mapped from Venice through to SVOD window

Most Interesting Project For:

International CoProduction Partners:

A Nigerian action thriller with a director proven at Tribeca, a producer with Netflix and Prime Video credits, and a distribution infrastructure spanning four continents. The creative and commercial groundwork is done.

Film Finance & Gap Investors:

Full production budget complete. Festival strategy anchored at Venice. Distribution partners in place. A structured co-investment opportunity in one of the most commercially active emerging film markets globally.

Streaming Platforms & Sales Agents:

African genre content with global festival pedigree and a team with existing platform relationships. Samuel’s Cross is positioned for the same trajectory that took The Weekend from Lagos to Tribeca to international distribution.

Interested in this project, please submit your interest through the form. Rest information will be disclosed upon reviewing the details.

Project No: PROJ-2025-025