U.S actor Danny Glover arrives for a news conference for the film “93 Days” in Lagos, Nigeria Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. Glover is in Nigeria to star in a movie based on people who risked and sacrificed their lives to stop the spread of Ebola in Africa’s most populous country. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Award-winning Hollywood actor Danny Glover (pictured above) and Nollywood star Bimbo Akintola (pictured) will star together in “93 Days,” a movie that tells the story of how Nigeria’s medical staff at First Consultant Hospital were able to contain and eradicate Ebola in Africa’s most populous nation.
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Akintola plays the lead role of the late-Dr. Stella Adadevoh who is credited for leading an effective response against the virus. Not only did Dr. Adadevoh identify the disease, but she also refused for Patrick Sawyer, the infected Liberian diplomat who brought the virus in to the country, to leave the hospital even though she was repeatedly pressured to do so.
Dr. Adadevoh would end up succumbing to the disease, but not before effectively containing it.
While the disease would enter Nigeria in July, by October, the nation would enjoy the news that they were Ebola-free.
The feat inspired producers to create “93 Days,” a real-life story on the skill and courage of Nigeria’s medical team who stopped the spread of Ebola.
Film co-producer Bolale Austen-Peters adds, “It’s a story that cuts across the world, and it is a global story, where Nigeria for the first time is allowed to shine internationally.
“And I felt that if we don’t tell this story, our brothers in America will tell the story and send it back to us like the “Fela” musical and we will go to the movie theaters and buy it and put money in their pockets.
“Therefore, we decided to do it ourselves.”
Speaking on taking on the large role of Dr. Adadevoh, Akintola (pictured) admits, “Trying to get in to character has been a bit difficult in the sense that there’s not a lot of footage on her. I’m going a bit blind.
“…I have seen pictures of her, I have spoken to her friends, I have spoken to people who knew her, and with everybody I speak with, it makes the character even harder to become honestly.”
Glover, who plays Dr. Benjamin Ohiaeri, First Consultant Hospital director, says he joined the project to tell the human story of the disease.
“Their [Nigeria’s] crisis [was] a reality, the part that we don’t see is the part that is the human drama itself within that, which is what [“93 Days”] is all about.
“And what you got in the United States was often the reflection of the fear and the fact that it may find its way on our borders.”
Glover later said about his involvement in the film, “I’m proud to be a part of the project, and I think it takes Nigerian film, it elevates it.”
Watch both Glover and Akintola speak about “93 Days” here:
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