THE WOMAN KING - Live from the Red Carpet, presented by L’Oréal Paris | TIFF 2022

Live from the Red Carpet of the World Premiere of THE WOMAN KING at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
Featuring a thrilling performance from Oscar winner Viola Davis, this epic tale brings to life the true story of the Agojie, the all-female military regiment charged with protecting the embattled African Kingdom of Dahomey.
Featuring thrilling performances from Oscar winner Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad), and John Boyega, this epic tale of struggle and liberation brings to life the galvanizing true story of the Agojie, the all-female military regiment charged with protecting the embattled West African Kingdom of Dahomey from adversarial neighbours, European colonizers, and the horrors of the slave trade.
The year is 1823. Orphaned at birth and raised by an abusive guardian who seeks only to marry her off for money, young Nawi (Mbedu) petitions for entry into the Agojie, led by the single-minded Nanisca (Davis). To defend their people against the oppressive and heavily armed Oyo Empire, the Agojie run candidates through an arduous training program. Nawi proves herself an outstanding, ferocious soldier, though she questions the Agojie rules, which state that no one in their ranks shall marry or have children. As the Agojie prepare for the fight of their lives against both the Oyo and the Portuguese slave traders with whom they are in league, long-buried secrets come to light, revealing harrowing stories of personal sacrifice that will only strengthen the bonds between these unstoppable warrior women.
Building on a career of rousing dramas that includes Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees (TIFF ’08), Beyond the Lights (TIFF ’14), and The Old Guard, filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood delivers a riveting story of heroism, friendship, and the power of women. As with many of cinema’s great epics, she dramatizes a turning point in world history through spectacular battle scenes and moving character work. This is a rare film that combines vast scale and intimate emotion. At the centre of it all, Davis is absolutely mesmerizing as the Agojie’s strategist warrior.
Gina Prince-Bythewood is from Los Angeles. She studied film at UCLA, wrote for television, and directed the shorts Progress (97), Damn Whitey (97), and Bowl of Pork (97) before writing and directing the features Love & Basketball (00), The Secret Life of Bees (08), and Beyond the Lights (14), the latter two of which premiered at TIFF, and directing The Old Guard (20). The Woman King (22) is her latest film.
The 47th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 8 to 18, 2022. For more, visit tiff.net.

[@timothmatiku6115]

I love black journalist

[@gaoasaurusg2159]

"The slave trade has been the ruling principle of my people. It is the source of their glory and wealth. Their songs celebrate their victories and the mother lulls the child to sleep with notes of triumph over an enemy reduced to slavery."
-King Ghezo. King of Dahomey when the British told him to end the slave trade

[@shamsi9797]

sajjal❤❤❤

[@busayobanjoko]

I can’t wait to go for the movie premiere today in Lagos!

[@SethMcFartlane]

It's so beautiful and badass to fight to keep your slave trade continuing.

[@Back2basics88]

HILARIOUS!!!!!

[@timothmatiku6115]

I like black girl

[@djoy4ly]

It is a great film! Go see it! Be open to the researchers that reject the colonizers biased view of African history! Long live all those who brought The Woman King to fruition! What a gift to the world, especially the generations of black dark-skinned women! We are beautiful, we are intelligent, we are persistent in our excellence!!

[@afterforever3795]

Hi guys I’m here because I herd about hero being in the movie I don’t no the other actors so please don’t have a go

[@o13sweetboy]

I noticed Viola kinda dismissed the comment from the White woman when she told her about having a King moment and quickly switched it to having a Princess moment which is fine and well but it all kind of contradicts the film that she's representing in which the title of the film presents Black female masculinzation and I think Viola deep down knows that but why pick a film role that you know contradicts how Black women have been feeling in society being masculinized in the media and not seen as feminine, desirable, vulnerable and not feeling protected??? Wrong move.

[@ObeySilence]

Isn´t she supposed to have a beard?

[@QeZobaBazZz]

Woman king? 🙄 queen is the title for a woman

[@lauramorgan2928]

Petty Betty🙄

[@JuustJayden]

Did people boo her? I liked the movie until I found out it was propagating the opposite of HERstory.