| The Obituary of Tunde Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ali LeRoi |
| Written by | Stanley Kalu |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Distributed by | Wolfe Releasing |
Release date |
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The Obituary of Tunde Johnson is a 2019 American drama film, directed by Ali LeRoi. [1]
| The Obituary of Tunde Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ali LeRoi |
| Written by | Stanley Kalu |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Distributed by | Wolfe Releasing |
Release date |
|
The Obituary of Tunde Johnson is a 2019 American drama film, directed by Ali LeRoi. [1]
Tunde Johnson is a gay Nigerian-American teenager who is in a secret relationship with his school's white lacrosse champion Soren. Soren is closeted and officially dating popular girl Marley, Tunde's best friend since childhood. The day of Soren's birthday, when the two boys have planned to come out to their families, Tunde is stopped and fatally shot by a police officer. Following his death, he wakes up the previous morning and becomes trapped in a time loop, forced to relive the day of his murder, which keeps happening in different ways no matter how hard he tries to change it. [2]
The screenplay was written by Stanley Kalu, a film student at the University of Southern California. [3] It was the first-ever winner of The Launch, a screenwriting competition to find and develop screenplays by promising new writers on which LeRoi was a judge; [3] the competition's prize included the screenplay being produced as a feature film, and LeRoi signed on to direct it as his own feature film debut. [4]
The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. [1]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | GLAAD Media Awards | GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release | The Obituary of Tunde Johnson | Nominated | [5] |
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