Last Flight to Abuja is a 2012 Nigerian disaster thriller film written by Tunde Babalola, directed and produced by Obi Emelonye, and starring Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Hakeem Kae-Kazim and Jim Iyke. Shot in Lagos, the film received five nominations at the 2013 Africa Movie Academy Awards, winning the category "Best Film by an African Abroad". On 15 June 2020, Last Flight To Abuja began streaming on Netflix eight years after it first premiered in London.
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Plot
On board the last flight of Flamingo Airways from Lagos to Abuja, it is a Friday night in 2006. The plane leaves on time, and everything goes well until disaster strikes. While the pilots try to regain control of the flight, flashbacks reveal the reasons why each passenger took the flight and now has to face their destiny. It is based on a true story.
Cast
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde as Suzie
Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Adesola
Ali Nuhu as Dan
Jim Iyke as David
Anthony Monjaro as aircraft captain
Uru Eke as air hostess
Tila Ben as passenger
Jide Kosoko as Chief Nike
Celine Loader as Captain Seye
Uche Odoputa as Efe
Jennifer Oguzie as Yolanda
Samuel Ajibola as Jimi
Ashaju Oluwakemi
Nneka J. Adams as Mrs. Ime Ibong
Olumide Bakare as elderly man
Chidera Orji as Mrs. Angele Efe
Gordon Irole as Moses
Doris Ekeh as Hawa
Abigail Oyinkasola as Anny
Edward Takpa as Kevin
Cindy Okosun as Gana
Vincent Nwachukwu as Hycent
Rachel Ekiama as Gina
Gozy Ekeh as Madge
Reuben Onyuka as engineer
Joe Shamel as Brian
Cheeka Okereke as TV presenter
Production
During the filming process, Emelonye had to deal with his peers, banks, and bureaucrats at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Reception
Last Flight to Abuja received mixed reviews. Praised for its cinematography and music score, most critics stated that the CGI and visual effects left a lot to be desired. The film grossed ₦8,350,000 in its opening weekend with an attendance of 9,638, and went on to gross ₦24,000,000 in its first week, topping the chart in West African cinemas and outperforming Hollywood movies such as The Amazing Spider-Man, Think Like a Man, The Avengers and Madagascar 3. It was released in many cities, including Lagos and London, where it received a four-star rating from Odeon Cinemas.