Seven Doors is a Nigerian drama television limited series created by Femi Adebayo for the streaming platform Netflix. Set in Ilara, Ondo State, the series explores 18th- and 19th-century Nigeria and serves as the directorial debut of actor and producer Femi Adebayo. It is produced by Euphoria 360 in collaboration with Netflix and is co-directed by Femi Adebayo, Tope Adebayo, and Adebayo Tijani. Femi Adebayo stars as Adedunjoye, alongside Chioma Chukwuka, Oga Bello, Jide Kosoko, Gabriel Afolayan, Hafiz Oyetoro, Ronke Odusanya, Muyiwa Ademola and other cast members. Its plot follows the story of Adedunjoye in Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, before and after his ascension to the throne as King Adedunjoye.
Seven Doors was premiered on 11 December 2024 in Filmhouse Cinema IMAX in Lekki, Lagos. The series was released theatrically on 13 December 2024 along with all six episodes of the series on Netflix.
Synopsis Adedunjoye, an ordinary man who loved his wife and kids dearly. He was offered the position of becoming the King of Ilara Kingdom, Ondo State as the Kingship had reached him through his family lineage. Being uninterested in the offer, he turned down the offer. On being persuaded for many times, he finally accepted the offer to become the King. After being made the king, there have been lots of oppositions from people who wanted to create problems for him during his kingship. Soon after becoming the king, the kingdom began facing a lot of problems. Through the efforts of the chief priest, he was told to open seven doors symbolizing seven wives for the sins of his ancestors. The King denied and Ilara kingdom along with the King’s family continued suffering misfortunes even resulting in the death of his daughter.
Cast
Femi Adebayo as King Adedunjoye Chioma Chukwuka as Amaka Kolawole Ajeyemi as King Adejuwon Adebayo Salami as Otun Jide Kosoko as Olukosin Hafiz Oyetoro as Agbaakin Muyiwa Ademola as Prince Adeoye Dele Odule as Agunbiade Gabriel Afolayan as Opayemi Akeem Adebayo as Subuola Aliu Gafar as Esusu Olamide Bakare as Fola Taiwo Hassan as Oni Rara Akoko Adeniyi Johnson as Opabola Wumi Toriola as Adejundoye's Wife Ganiu Nofiu as Olojongbodu Royal Aziomaku as Tade Kunle Omisore as Amaka's Uncle Bidemi Kosoko as Wale's Sister
Episodes
Release The series was released on Netflix on 13 December 2024, one day after its premiere.
Reception Itoro Oladokun of The Guardian Nigeria commended the series for its theme on tradition, power, sins of the fathers and forgiveness. Oladokun also mentioned how the series portrayed inter-ethnic marriages through the characters of Adedunjoye and Amaka. Nosakhale Akhimien of Premium Times gave the series a positive review, praising the storyline, pace of the show, cinematography, effects, costumes, and set design. He specifically commended Muyiwa Ademola and Aliu Gafar on their acting prowess as well as the handling of the Yoruba-Igbo relationship aspect of the show. However, the intricacy of the show can be quite confusing for first-time viewers. Nelson Chigozirim of What Kept Me Up gave the series a mixed review, prasing the performances of Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha and her chemistry with Femi Adebayo, but finding fault with the script for having underdeveloped characters, unrealistic plot twists, and an absence of themes. Chigozirim further pointed out the problems with visually separating the various time periods in the narrative and termed the series flawed though it had universal themes.
Awards and nominations At the 11th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards, the film won three major awards: Best Lead Actor for Femi Adebayo, Best Lead Actress for Chioma Chukwuka, and Best Music/Score for Tolu Obanro.
At the 17th Best of Nollywood Awards, the series won multiple honours including Best Series, Best Production Design, Best Special Effect, Best Cinematography and Best Costume.
References
External links