As ‘Heart & Soul’, a medico-spiritual TV series shot by renowned filmmaker, Obi Emelonye premieres on Africa Magic Showcase Channel 150 on Tuesday June 4, 2019, it will be availing opportunities to Nigerian youths interested in taking part in the film and television industry when they engage with the TV series on social media (Facebook: Heart & Soul NG and Instagram @heartandsoulng).
The TV series which starts at 5.30pm (WAT) and will run every weekday, was shot under the The Obi Emelonye Foundation’s ‘50-50 Legacy’ project, an initiative to offer budding talents in Nigeria the opportunity to join the film and television industry. The TV series started with a string of film workshops in Lagos, and had enlisted about 100 youths in the state to take part in the filming as actors and crew members, with the aim of giving their aspirations in the industry the needed boost.
Obi Emelonye says: “When my twin brother and I, turned 50, we thought of how we could give back to the society in our various fields. This is the result. I am doing mine through television. I am interested in giving the opportunity to young Nigerians to realise their dreams in the audio-visual industry. We started at Nsukka with ‘Crazy, Lovely, Cool’. At the Lagos end, we have done this TV series, ‘Heart and Soul’, which has given about 100 young Nigerians the opportunity to participate in the industry. It is usually difficult for the young ones to get that very first opportunity. That is what we intend to bridge with this project.”
Comparable to classic medical dramas like ER, Casualty, and Scrubs, ‘Heart & Soul’ has been described by critics as ‘Grey’s Anatomy set in Lagos with African mystery’, and features Nollywood star, Anthony Monjaro alongside Adekola Amoo, Phoenix Ezendu and many new but talented acts who were selected from the film workshops by the ’50-50 Legacy’ initiative of The Obi Emelonye Foundation.
Written, produced and directed by Obi Emelonye, the series revolves around Dr. Sydney, who has just returned from New York to join the medical team at a rather high tech but inundated Lagos State University Hospital in Ikeja. He soon discovers that for a people whose beliefs are steeped in pervasive spiritualism, there’s more to every sickness and indeed every cure than can be diagnosed or explained through medical science. The odd stories and ailments from his many patients drain him physically and challenge his faith in God and medicine. Will he find new friends? Will he find time to love again?