A Land Apart, Bem Pever’s political thriller imagining a Nigeria enriched by agriculture rather than oil, has opened in Nigerian cinemas. The film began its theatrical release on 23 October through Nile Entertainment, with Richard Mofe-Damijo, Princess Mufeedah and Daniel Etim Effiong among its cast.
The story centres on the Ahura family and an agricultural empire built around AX-103, a crop formula credited within the fictional world with sustaining food production across Africa. When the company’s founder is killed, his daughter, Dooshima, faces a struggle over her inheritance and control of the technology.
Princess Mufeedah plays Dooshima, whose decisions draw her into a contest involving family interests and international powers. Sam Dede, Onyeka Onwenu and Frank Donga also appear in the ensemble. Emil Garuba and Echobu Michael Garuba wrote the screenplay.
Pever described the production as a political drama rooted among the Tiv people of Benue State in an interview published by the Nigerian Television Authority in June. Its imagined economic history places agriculture at the centre of national wealth and international influence.
The filmmaker said the production’s international challenge involved access to buyers and distributors, alongside presenting Nigerian work to different markets. He identified Samira Buhari as executive producer and Sally Williams as producer, with himself serving as both producer and director.
The cinema opening follows a festival and industry showcase run. The Zanzibar International Film Festival’s official 2026 winners list names A Land Apart as its Golden Dhow Best Film, with Pever identified as the filmmaker.
Pever also discussed the film’s screening at the NiFS x CACOP Creative Africa Content Pavilion Best of Africa Film Showcase in Cannes. That industry showcase is distinct from a place in the Cannes Film Festival’s main competition.
“Cannes opened conversations that would have taken years to initiate through conventional channels,” he told NTA, describing meetings with distributors, buyers, broadcasters and potential production partners.
The theatrical release also brings the Abuja-based filmmaker’s work back to audiences in Benue. Exodus Cinema in Makurdi lists the film for daily 6pm screenings from 23 to 29 October, with booking available through Thursday.
Its advertised prices are ₦3,000 for adults and ₦2,500 for students and corps members, with identification required for the discounted rate. Grand Cinemas separately lists the film among its releases, confirming the 23 October opening date.
In a separate interview with Shades of Us, published on 22 October, Pever traced his interest in performance to church and school drama in Adikpo, Benue State. He later studied theatre arts, including at the University of Jos, before pursuing film work in Abuja.
He recalled learning production through practical assignments and developing Strong Reasons, a faith-based short made with Garuba. Community and church screenings helped them reach audiences before he began paying closer attention to the financial demands of filmmaking.
Pever’s subsequent credits include work on Sons of the Caliphate and Halita. His company, Take 7 Media and Entertainment, is based in Abuja.
The National Film and Video Censors Board’s September register records approval for A Land Apart on 23 September, one month before its Nigerian cinema release.
Image: Daniel Etim Effiong at the premiere of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, Toronto International Film Festival, 12 September 2026. Photograph by Danielle G. Campbell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Archival cast photograph, not a scene from A Land Apart.
