Gbolahan Peter Macjob has become the latest journalist to transition into movie-making with the directorial debut of “Ireke: Rise of The Maroons” in Cannes.
In doing so Macjob, who works at the BBC, also becomes the first West African journalist to direct a Nigerian indigenous language film which made its world market premiere at the 2025 Marché du Film to an audience of international buyers.
A sweeping and unflinching historical drama, “IREKE” explores the psychological and generational impact of the transatlantic slave trade through a distinctly African lens.
Drawing on Yoruba oral tradition and inspired by true events, the film delivers a haunting yet human portrait of how the trauma of colonialism continues to shape global Black identity – from Nigeria to the Caribbean, and across to Britain.
“This is the kind of story I’ve spent a career trying to uncover,” says Macjob who was nominated for an international Emmy award for “Black Axe” in 2022. “But with IREKE, I’m not just reporting history – I’m reclaiming it through cinema. It’s a story for those who have been silenced, for cultures made invisible, and for communities that are still healing.”
The film is produced by Afristar Studios and co-executive produced by Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe and Clare Anyiam-Osigwe at BUFF Studios – the award-winning duo behind “No Shade” which also premiered in Cannes in 2018. IREKE is the latest in a growing slate of titles from the production and distribution arm of the British Urban Film Festival, who returned to Cannes this year after negotiating a six-figure development deal for Afro-futurist drama “Ancestors” (created by Rain Pryor) in 2022.
Set for UK & Nigerian theatrical release in July (through Odeon Cinemas and Blue Pictures respectively), IREKE is already attracting critical and commercial attention for its evocative visual storytelling, urgent themes, and standout performances. It is poised to be one of the defining African diaspora titles at this year’s film market – and a powerful new voice in global cinema.