Kit Esuruoso will star in Genna Chanelle Hayes’ Akoni.

West End star and English-­born Kit Esuruoso will star in the upcoming feature film Akoni alongside a stellar Australian cast including John Brumpton (2016 AACTA Best ActorNominee), Mal Kennard (2016 Silver Logie Nominee), Genna Chanelle Hayes, Pippa Grandison, Rashidi Edward and Simon Elrahi.

Akoni tells the story of a Nigerian refugee who survives an attack by Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram, and makes his way to Australian shores.

The film, written and directed by Genna Chanelle Hayes, will commence principal photography in Sydney next month before wrapping in Nigeria in February.

Genna Chanelle Hayes is one of Australia’s freshest ‘new generation’ voices, with her latest film Wurinyan screening to a packed house at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

Genna said that she wants to tell a story that she hopes will serve as a tool for positive growth within Australian society, and globally. “The displacement of people around the world is causing boundaries to blur and cultures to converge, and it’s important for us all to have an understanding of the reasons that are driving such change-­‐ so we can all move forward together in peace. That’s what I hope to illustrate with Akoni. ”

ADVERTISMENT