| The Supreme Price | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Joanna Lipper |
| Produced by | Joanna Lipper |
| Cinematography | Joanna Lipper, Lisa Rinzler, Richard Sands |
| Edited by | Geoffrey Richman, Tina Grapenthin, Ali Muney |
| Music by | Nathan Larson |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Countries | Nigeria, United States, Belgium |
| Language | English |
The Supreme Price (2014) is a feature-length documentary film about the evolution of the pro-democracy movement in Nigeria, produced and directed by Joanna Lipper. The film explores gender politics, military dictatorship, and the ongoing struggle for democracy in Nigeria. In this riveting thriller, politics in Nigeria is a do-or-die affair. An intimate rendering of the epic and tragic intergenerational Abiola family saga, The Supreme Price provides an unprecedented look inside Africa's most populous nation from the perspective of women, exposing a deep history of political corruption.
On June 12th, 1993, Nigeria elected M.K.O. Abiola as president in a historic vote that promised to end twenty-three years of military dictatorship. Shortly after, the election was annulled and a military coup brought General Sani Abacha into power. When President-elect M.K.O Abiola was arrested and imprisoned, the second of his four wives, Kudirat Abiola, took over the leadership of the pro-democracy movement. She organized rallies and the longest oil workers strike in Nigerian history, winning international attention for the Nigerian struggle against human rights violations perpetrated by the military dictatorship. Because of this work, she too became a target and was assassinated in 1996, by agents of the military dictator. Two years after Kudirat’s assassination, M.K.O Abiola died under suspicious circumstances on the eve of his release from prison. Their daughter, Hafsat Abiola, took over her parents' fight for democracy and founded the NGO Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) in memory of her mother. She heads a progressive movement to empower women, trying to dismantle the patriarchal structure of Nigerian society.
In The Supreme Price, director Joanna Lipper combines daring reporting, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes access shot during numerous trips to Nigeria with archival footage from some of the nation's most tumultuous, violent and corrupt periods during the fifty years following Nigeria’s Independence in 1960. Seamlessly interweaving past and present, she tells the story of the Abiola family and a nation in turmoil through the eyes of M.K.O and Kudirat’s eldest daughter, Hafsat Abiola, who was about to graduate from Harvard when her mother was murdered. The film also includes interviews with Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, two former U.S. Ambassadors to Nigeria (Walter C. Carrington and John Campbell), and human rights activist Josephine Okei-Odumakin, President of Women Arise for Change Initiative and the Campaign for Democracy.
The Supreme Price was funded by the MacArthur Foundation, [1] the Ford Foundation, [2] ITVS, [3] Chicken & Egg Pictures, [4] and the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. The film was produced by Joanna Lipper and Vertumnus Productions in partnership with co-producer Tunde Kelani of Mainframe Productions in Nigeria. Principal photography took place in Lagos, Ogun State, and Brussels.
The Supreme Price received international critical acclaim upon its release. The New York Times described it as "A Door Into Africa’s Recent History." [5] The Guardian included the film in its list of “Top Five Political Films in African Cinema.” [6] The British Blacklist described the film as “a cinematic triumph.” Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 100% approval rating. [7]
In her review in The New York Times, Anita Gates wrote, “Joanna Lipper’s documentary shapes one country’s recent history into an accessible and tragic family drama.” [8] In The Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan wrote, “The Supreme Price may sound like a metaphorical title, but after seeing this strong, forthright documentary, you’ll understand that it’s the literal truth." [9] Variety noted, “the robust movement for political and social reform is driven by women... in a society where women are schooled in submission.” [10] The Economist praised Lipper for balancing "terrible sadness" with moments of "surreal comic horror" and maintaining a narrative focused on progress. [11] A review in Screen Africa emphasized the importance of the film’s woman-centered point of view. [12]
The Supreme Price won the Gucci Tribeca Spotlighting Women Documentary Award and Best Documentary Award at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF). It was nominated for the Grierson Award for Best Historical Documentary and for the African Movie Academy Award for Best Documentary.
The Supreme Price was theatrically released in the US, UK, and Europe, and has been broadcast in over fifty countries. The film screened at international film festivals on six continents. An extended trailer from the film was commissioned to launch Gucci’s Chime for Change campaign at TED in 2013. [13] The Supreme Price was featured in the United Nations’ Ciné-ONU film series across Europe. [14] Women Make Movies acquired the film for North American distribution, [15] and PBS broadcast it on the series Global Voices. [16] Afridocs broadcast the film across 49 African countries to mark the anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence, [17] and it was selected by IREP International Documentary Film Festival in Nigeria for their 10th Anniversary showcase. [18]
[19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] </references>