The Figurine

Synopsis

The Figurine: Araromire is a 2009 Nigerian supernatural suspense thriller film written by Kemi Adesoye, produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan, who also stars in the film as one of the main protagonists. It also stars Ramsey Nouah and Omoni Oboli. The movie narrates the story of two friends who find a mystical sculpture in an abandoned shrine in the forest while serving at a National Youth Service Corps camp, and one of them decides to take the artwork home. Unknown to them, the sculpture is from the goddess 'Araromire' which bestows seven years of good luck on anyone who encounters it, and after the seven years have expired, seven years of bad luck follow. The lives of the two friends begin to change for the better, as they become successful and wealthy businessmen. However, after seven years, things start to change for the worse. The idea for a thriller film was conceived by Kunle Afolayan and scriptwriter Giovanni Durojaiye (also known as Jovi Babs) and was originally titled Shrine. The script took nine months to finalize and the development stage took five years. The film was shot in Lagos and Osun States over three months and received sponsorship from companies such as MicCom Golf Resort, GSK, Omatek Computers, MTN, IRS Airlines, and Cinekraft. It also had media partners like HiTV and others. There were no stuntmen on the ground, so most of the stunts were performed by Kunle Afolayan on set. The film was released at the 2009 Rotterdam International Film Festival and met with widespread critical acclaim. It received ten nominations and won five awards at the 6th Africa Movie Academy Awards, including the awards for Best Picture, Heart of Africa (since renamed Best Nigerian Film), Achievement in Cinematography and Achievement in Visual Effects. On 31 July 2014, Auteuring Nollywood: Critical Perspectives on The Figurine, a compilation of scholarly analysis of the film, was published to positive reviews.