Anchor Baby feature film premieres in Canada in Home Town debut

Immigration thriller "Anchor Baby" set for Canadian theatrical premiere in Toronto's Albion Cinema

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Jul 08, 2011 – Canadian produced feature film “Anchor Baby” an immigration thriller written directed and produced by  Lonzo Nzekwe is set to open in Toronto's Albion Cinema.

The plotline is as follows: Married, illegal immigrant couple Joyce (Omoni Oboli) and Paul Unanga (Sam Sarpong) are ordered to leave the U.S. but choose to go in hiding instead. They are waiting for Joyce who is five months pregnant, to deliver the baby to guarantee automatic U.S. citizenship for their child. When Paul is caught and deported by agent Mark Castello (Michael Scratch), Joyce is left to struggle on her own to accomplish their dream.

The film features Nollywood star Omoni Oboli (Figurine, Guilty Pleasures), Ghanaian-raised LA-based Sam Sarpong (Street Kings, The Dedd Brothers, Keeping Up with the Steins), Canadian actress/songwriter Terri Oliver and Canadian actor/model Michael Scratch (The Body Machine, Forensic Science). It grossed over 150,000 USD in Nigeria, making it the 3rd highest earning Nigerian movie in Nigeria cinemas after a 10 week run.

Speaking of his choice to cast lead actress Omoni Oboli, writer-director-producer Lonzo Nzekwe said, “That decision is one of the best decisions I made in the earlier stages of production. I wanted someone who could transform the script and bring it to life. When I watched a few of Omoni’s movies… that’s when I decided she was the one.”

“Anchor Baby” won Best Film and Best Actress at the Harlem Film Festival, the Emerging 20 award at the Reelworld Film Festival, the Award of Merit at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood and the official selection of the Africa International Film Festival.

"The film represents a new wave of emerging filmmakers with special appeal to the vast Nigerian diaspora audience, which blend Nigerian culture elements with a strong  North American cinematic style.  The films thus cater to a wide audience around the world." says Dan Shannon of ID Communications, the films international sales agent.