AT&T Presents: Untold Stories, a film initiative created by AT&T and Tribeca, will release the program’s first-ever film – Nigerian Prince – to audiences nationwide on Friday, October, 19. Written and directed by newcomer Faraday Okoro, and filmed in Lagos, Nigeria, the film is a heist thriller about a Nigerian-American teenager sent to visit relatives in Nigeria against his will, later to join forces with his internet scammer cousin in an attempt to return to the United States on his own.
Nigerian Prince follows two characters: Eze, a stubborn, first generation Nigerian-American teenager and his cousin, Pius, who is a desperate Nigerian Prince scammer. After Eze’s mother sends him to Nigeria against his will, Eze retaliates by teaming up with Pius to scam unsuspecting foreigners in order to earn money for a return ticket back to America. Executive produced by Spike Lee, the film stars Chinaza Uche and Antonio Bell.
Kicking off the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, Okoro was one of five aspiring directors who participated in a live pitch to a panel of celebrity and industry judges that included AT&T’s chief brand officer Fiona Carter to win $1 million to make their film utilizing the Untold Stories program grant, mentorship and distribution commitments. Okoro’s film, Nigerian Prince, had its world premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival to rave reviews and packed theaters in New York City. Now, delivering on the program’s promise to ensure that underserved artists’ work is not only created but seen, Nigerian Prince will be available to millions of movie enthusiasts in select theaters across the country as well as on DIRECTV, U-Verse and a range of on-demand platforms.
“Untold Stories is the rare project that unites AT&T’s commitment to equality with our passion for delivering exhilarating new experiences for our customers. Like our friends at Tribeca, we appreciate quality storytelling that entertains, challenges and transports us to places we’ve never been with a creative vision we’ve never seen – that is Nigerian Prince,” said Fiona Carter, chief brand officer, AT&T Communications. “We are thrilled to help Faraday and his incredible team live their dream with the debut of this film, but we’re equally excited to bring a wonderful and completely unique film to a national audience.”
“Programs like Untold Stories have the incredible power to introduce audiences to new storytellers and new ways of seeing the world,” said Jane Rosenthal, ceo and co-founder of Tribeca Enterprises/Tribeca Film Festival. “We’re proud to support Faraday Okoro’s globe-trotting, culture-crossing film Nigerian Prince as the first recipient of the Untold Stories grant, and we are eager to champion other emerging filmmakers as we continue to get untold stories heard with our friends at AT&T.”
AT&T Presents: Untold Stories. An Inclusive Film Program in Collaboration with Tribeca was launched in 2017 to ensure that diverse storytellers always have a screen on which to shine. AT&T will provide funding up to $1 million for one talented filmmaker to create his or her film each year, and Tribeca will provide mentorship from seasoned industry professionals. AT&T will distribute the winning film across its video platforms. This film initiative is an alliance between AT&T and Tribeca along with Tribeca Film Institute and debuted at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Nigerian Prince is the first film produced under the program. In April of 2018, AT&T awarded its second $1 million to Untold Stories winners Sasie Sealy and Angela Cheng for their film, LUCKY GRANDMA. Like Nigerian Prince, it will also have its world premiere screening during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival next April. Submissions are now open for Year 3 – and aspiring filmmakers are encouraged to submit scripts between now and Nov. 24, 2018, for their chance to compete for a $1 million grant to make their film as part of AT&T Presents: Untold Stories.