With The Boy Who Runs, Obasi now turns his attention to one of East Africa’s most compelling contemporary figures.
By Joseph Jonathan
Nigerian filmmaker C.J. “Fiery” Obasi has set his next feature project, with the acclaimed director attached to helm The Boy Who Runs, a biographical drama based on the life of Ugandan long-distance runner, humanitarian, and politician Julius Achon.
According to a report by Deadline, Obasi will direct, produce, and co-write the film alongside writers Kirimi Kiage and Teddy Gitau. The project is based on The Boy Who Runs: The Odyssey of Julius Achon, the biography by American journalist John Brant. Kudi Maradzika will serve as executive producer, while Mortinno Morton joins as co-producer.
Produced by Swiss-based studio 9 NIGHTS in association with Obasi’s production banner, Fiery Film, The Boy Who Runs traces Achon’s remarkable life journey from northern Uganda, where he was abducted as a child by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), to his rise as a national athletics champion and NCAA athlete at George Mason University in the United States. The film will also explore his years within Nike’s elite running programme in Oregon and the personal struggles that shaped his evolution into one of Uganda’s most respected public figures.
The announcement marks another ambitious international project for Obasi, whose profile has continued to grow since the success of Mami Wata (2023). The black-and-white fantasy drama made history as the first Nigerian film to premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Cinematography. It later served as Nigeria’s submission for the 96th Academy Awards and earned nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards and NAACP Image Awards.
Obasi’s latest project joins a busy slate of international productions currently occupying the filmmaker. Earlier this year, Afrocritik reported that he would direct A Blue Butterfly, a psychological drama written by actor Steve Toussaint and starring Toussaint alongside American actor Sanaa Lathan. The film, which explores themes of guilt, redemption, and self-forgiveness, is currently in production across London and Kigali.
More recently, Obasi was also announced as the inaugural fellow of a new African–Korean filmmaker residency programme launched by Continental Entertainment and Seoul-based production company Flix Oven. The residency will see him develop an undisclosed feature project intended to bridge African and Korean cultures, with Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman and producer Lori McCreary attached as executive producers.
With The Boy Who Runs, Obasi now turns his attention to one of East Africa’s most compelling contemporary figures. Achon’s life story spans war, displacement, sport, and public service, offering the kind of expansive human narrative that has increasingly defined the director’s recent international projects. Production details and casting for The Boy Who Runs are yet to be announced.