“[Dreams and Assorted Nightmares] reminds me of haunting bedtime stories in my hometown of Jos Plateau where the author hails. I feel connected to the characters”, says Gyang.
By Helena Olori
Following the successful screening of their latest adaptation, This is Lagos, at the 12th African International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Kenneth Gyang, filmmaker and co-founder of the production outfit, Cinema Kpatakpata, has now acquired adaptation rights to Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s literary work, Dreams and Assorted Nightmares.
The book, published by Masobe in 2020, is a “collection of loosely interlinked short stories set in a fictional Nigerian town, where a local man dies each time a leaf falls from a certain tree, exploring the depth of human experience and the social structure of life in Nigeria”.
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“Zango, that town of a thousand dreams, is leaping from the pages to the screen”, announced Ibrahim on X, “Looking forward to collaborating with the brilliant filmmaker, Kenneth Gyang, on this”.
According to the award-winning director, Dreams and Assorted Nightmares, the third book from the Nigeria Prize for Literature winner of 2016, is “a literary gem that resonates deeply with its exploration of human emotions and societal dynamic”. “I love Zango, its inhabitants, and their powerful stories”, he quipped.
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The new acquisition joins the repertoire of upcoming projects in development under the Cinema Kpatakpata umbrella, including AJ City, Game of Life, and Land of Promise.
While production details for the adaptation of Dreams and Assorted Nightmares are currently under wrap, This is Lagos, adapted from Oduobuk-MfonAbasi’s short story, is expected to make its theatrical release soon.