Nigerian boy, Anthony Madu, who became popular after a video of him dancing ballet barefooted in the rain went viral in 2020, is getting a feature documentary on Disney.
Disney Original Documentary made this announcement at the D23 Expo where it unveiled its future projects.
“Anthony comes from a community with limited opportunities, making this a chance of a lifetime to pursue his dream,” said Disney Original Documentary in a release.
The upcoming documentary, which will be titled ‘Madu‘ captures the events that took place after a 44-second video of Anthony dancing in the rain was uploaded on the internet and it went viral.
Madu, who was 11 at the time, thrilled many viewers across the world with his pirouettes and leaps which he did effortlessly.
The video eventually fetched him a scholarship as one of the twelve students at the Leap of Dance Academy in June 2020 at the 100-year-old Elmhurst Ballet School in the U.K.
Anthony’s journey is a beautiful one, full of courage, growth and acceptance. We aim to share unique, diverse and global perspectives with audiences, full of magic and heart,” said Marjon Javadi, Vice President of Disney Original Documentary.
Nigerian director, Joel ‘Kachi Benson, who won the Venice Award in 2019 for his virtual reality documentary ‘Daughters of Chibok‘ is directing the feature project alongside Oscar nominee, Matt Ogens.
“Our shared journey is about curiosity and creating an understanding of different cultures through our connection with each other,” Ogens and Benson said in a statement.
“Ultimately, this is a journey of discovery, growth, belonging and acceptance, a theme we both personally relate to. Making his voice heard is our ultimate drive, and we believe Anthony’s extraordinary story will make the most captivating, emotional, and riveting film either of us has told.”
‘Madu’ is part of a growing slate of films from Disney Original Documentary.
It is produced by Jamie Patricof, Katie McNeill and Rachel Halilej of Hunting Lane Films while Marjon Javadi oversees the project for Disney Original Documentary.
Footage of the feature documentary was shown to audiences at the D23 Expo held in California, USA.
Story: Hilda Katu
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