Cineflix Rights takes Warrior Women to Cannes

Cineflix Rights has acquired a new documentary from SandStone Global Productions in which Oscar®-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o travels to West Africa to uncover the remarkable truth behind the real women who may have helped to inspire the Dora Milaje in Marvel’s Black Panther.

Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong’o (1×60’, SandStone Global Productions for Channel 4) follows the actress, author, and producer on an immersive journey to Benin, gaining extraordinary and unique access as she discovers that an army of female fighters existed in the heart of West Africa and are still remembered there as the ‘Agojie’ or as Europeans labelled them—the ‘Amazons’. As she reveals in a powerful, emotional, and epic road trip, these real-life warrior women in armies up to 4,000 strong, fought soldiers from African and European powers alike from the 17th to the 19th centuries in the Kingdom of Dahomey, centred in modern-day Benin.

Kate Laffey, VP Acquisitions, Cineflix Rights who brokered the deal said: “Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong’o has a global superstar investigating the true story of the real women who were remarkably similar to the Dora Milaje of Black Panther—one of the biggest movies of all time. It’s beautifully shot, rooted in blue-chip historical research, and is engaging and informative to viewers. It’s the perfect mix for buyers and we’re thrilled to be working with SandStone to bring the film to global audiences.”

Bettany Hughes, Creative Director, SandStone Global said: “This was a unique opportunity to combine Lupita Nyong’o’s passion and forensic interest in the power and origin of stories with grassroots research in Benin. The ‘Agojie’ women were recruited by their kings across three centuries and fought in huge numbers in highly-trained battalions. Women have frequently been written out of history, and powerful women fetishised—this is a case in point. Lupita Nyong’o asks searing questions about power play in history and who tells whose story.”

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For more information, contact Mark Ogle at OH Communications (for Cineflix Rights):

mark@ohcommunications.co.uk / +44 (0) 7789 981561

About Cineflix Rights
Cineflix Rights is the UK’s largest independent TV content distributor, providing premium programming from leading international producers to more than 500 broadcasters and platforms worldwide. Our diverse catalogue spans the full range of factual genres, as well as scripted series and formats. Established in 2002, Cineflix Rights is based in London and part of the Cineflix Media group of companies.