Obi Emere’s short film, ‘Buried’ joins list of new licensing deal on Amazon Prime

Following Amazon Prime Video’s debut into Nollywood, Charles Obi Emere’s 2021 short film ‘Buried’ has joined the growing list of titles released on the streaming service.

The short film which was the only West African film to be nominated in the Best Short Film category at the 2021 AFRIFF, is a Chinyere Ohuonu production.

‘Buried’ follows the story of Ekanem, a 33-year-old man who goes home after a long period of estrangement from his family for the funeral rituals of his late brother, but first has to deal with his father’s and sister’s wrath, who refuse to see him again.

Seun Ajayi plays the major role in ‘Buried,’ with Toyin Oshinaike and Belinda Yanga-Agedah in supporting roles.

‘Buried,’ according to Emere, who also serves as the film’s writer, is based on true events inspired by his brother’s near-death experience following an overdose.

Charles Obi Emere also spoke about his deal with Amazon Prime and how the short film ended up being distributed through the streaming platform.

“I remember one night Chinyere and I talked extensively about the future of Buried. This was way before we shot the film. We were concerned about festival runs and how much the pandemic would pose as a challenge, as only a few festivals were willing to host live editions – most were going virtual.

“We knew that we had to find an alternative means of distribution so as to work with the limitations rather than against them. We basically manifested the deal with Amazon PVD. We believed strongly that we would go to a streaming platform.”

‘Buried’ which now streams on Amazon Prime joins the list of new licensing deals with major studios such as Inkblot Productions and Anthill Studios.