Planet Bottling Company, makers of Reaktor Energy Drink, has partnered with EbonyLife Creative Academy to spotlight the resilience, ambition and struggles of Nigerians navigating Lagos’ informal economy through two new productions.
The projects, On the Move and On the Move: Chasing Tomorrow, were screened at EbonyLife Cinema in Lagos, bringing together invited guests and journalists for an evening centred on the realities of people working to survive and build better lives in the city.
The initiative combines fictional storytelling with real-life accounts, particularly focusing on street hawkers, workers within Reaktor’s distribution chain and others whose livelihoods depend on informal occupations.
Planet Bottling Company’s Marketing Communications Manager, Franklyn Eluagu, said the documentary was created to demonstrate that the struggles depicted in the fictional film were rooted in the experiences of real Nigerians.
“Reaktor is encouraging everyone out there to keep up with the process, be consistent and stay on the move,” Eluagu said.
He said the company wanted audiences to look beyond the everyday sight of street hawkers and understand the people and circumstances behind the informal economy.
“We wanted to document the lives of actual people who are living this life. Hawkers are out there every day. We see them, and we also see those who do business with the hawkers and provide the drinks they sell,” he said.
Marketing Manager of Planet Bottling Company, Naji Awada, said the productions were designed to reinforce Reaktor’s message of perseverance and pushing beyond limitations.
“Reaktor, as the slogan says, is about pushing your limits. This is a way for us to show that if you have a goal and push towards it, you can reach there, evolve it and make it into something big,” Awada said.
According to him, the stories presented in the films reflect experiences shared by Nigerians across different walks of life, particularly those who continue to pursue their ambitions despite difficult circumstances.
For Michael Oyebade, Head of Administration at EbonyLife Creative Academy, the collaboration brought together the academy’s focus on developing young creatives and Planet Bottling Company’s interest in telling stories rooted in Nigerian experiences.
“It is a coming together of ideas and a coming together of missions,” Oyebade said.
He explained that graduates and alumni of the academy participated in various stages of the productions, from ideation and story development to filming and production.
“We use our graduates, the alumni from the academy, to do the sprints, the ideation, the story development and the filming itself. Everything has been done by students of the academy,” he said.
Director Gbenga Adeoti said the fictional production, On the Move, was intended to encourage audiences to look beyond their present circumstances and pursue purposeful lives.
“It has been very wonderful to see the traction these things are getting, as they reach thousands of people who come to celebrate and support them.
“It’s just so nice to see that the work we do is getting recognition and receiving the support it deserves from the wider sector.
“The philosophy of Reaktor is pushing your limits, and we just want to reinforce that philosophy. It is important for people to know that they need to live a life of purpose. When we created the series, we chose different subjects and real-life people to tell their stories and share how they relate to growth and life in our country.
“The series is going to roll out in about seven or eight episodes. We are doing it for a Pan-African audience, so we want to use subjects that everyone can relate to.
“We want people to see themselves in these stories and connect with the experiences being shared”, he added.
The film tells the story of Sadiq, a young Lagos street hawker and sole caregiver to his sister, Zainab, who suffers from asthma.
Faced with the daily pressure of providing for his family, Sadiq is encouraged by his coach to look beyond his immediate circumstances and recognise a talent he had previously overlooked.
His decision to take a risky step towards a different future becomes the central conflict of the film, which explores perseverance, purpose and the courage to embrace new opportunities.
Adeoti said Sadiq’s character reflects the reality of many Lagos residents whose immediate struggle for survival can overshadow their long-term aspirations.
“The idea is that you need to live beyond that. You need to have a life of purpose, and that is where the coach comes in, to help him see beyond his prevalent reality and achieve a goal he did not even know he had within him,” he said.
The film stars Ezekiel Abayomi as Sadiq, alongside Jumoke Omojola, Seun Kentebe, Ajayi Akorede and Adewale Okunlola.
The second production, On the Move: Chasing Tomorrow, takes a documentary approach, following the lives of three Lagos residents — Kudus Adeyemi, Modupe Adeleke and Abdulakeem Oladele — who work as hawkers while supporting their families.
The documentary examines the economic pressures facing people in informal employment, including difficult living conditions, exploitation and the struggle to earn a livelihood in a competitive urban environment.
It also highlights their determination to provide for their families and work towards better futures despite the challenges.
The screening ultimately provided an opportunity to examine the pressures facing informal workers while highlighting the resilience, dignity and ambition of people whose daily efforts help sustain Lagos’ informal economy.
The post Reaktor, EbonyLife tell stories of Lagos hustlers in new films – By Enitan Abdultawab appeared first on Vanguard News.
