Living in Bondage

Contact Details:

73 Brudenell Road, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 1JD

01132752045

Leeds Inspired

Living in Bondage

22nd November 2025

Considered as one of the most seminal 90s Nollywood movies, and the starting point of the genre – the highly entertaining Living in Bondage (1992) was directed by Chris Obi Rapu, recognised as the ‘Father of Nollwood’, and stars Nnenna Nwabueze and Kenneth Okonkwo (now considered a ‘Pillar of Nollywood’) in their breakout roles.

Regarded as the first Nigerian home video to achieve blockbuster success, the film was shot with VHS Camcorder, though not of high production value, the direct to home video was innovative at the time.

Watching this film today is incredibly nostalgic, not just in aesthetic – but in narrative and vibe for many Africans and diasporic peoples who grew up watching this films and those like it on VHS at home or at the salon.

This event is in partnership with Black Womens Project Leeds, and is funded by BFI Film Hub North as part of the BFI Too Much Melodrama Season.