Afrobeat meets Nollywood as 'Lara and The Beat' premieres in grand style

It was a celebration of film, music and fashion at the prestigious Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, last Sunday when Biola Alabi's latest romantic movie, ‘Lara and the Beat’, premiered in grand style. The who’s who of the film and music industry came out colourful, runway ready and bold.

The lavish event was a resounding evening of fabulous fashion presentation and a mesmerizing music concert, taking cues from key themes explored in the movie – music, fashion and culture.

With less than two weeks to the movie’s cinematic release nationwide on July 20, the cast and other members of the production team took to the carpet to hint about the excitement that ‘Lara and the Beat’ promises.

“We had a lot of fun on set making this movie, and I am particularly excited about the cultural elements that stand out in this movie,” said Seyi Shay, who plays Lara Giwa in the movie. “Music is a big part of this movie, and to see how it was perfectly fused with this production, makes me really proud as a music artiste.”

“We are now starting to see a brilliant collaboration between Nollywood and the music industry,” says Tosin Coker, Director of Lara and the Beat. “This is very special for me because I started my career as a music video director, and to see this happening now and to be a part of it, is something I am really proud of.” Like the director of the movie, Seyi Shay who plays the role of the lead protagonist, Lara Giwa, and Vector who plays her love interest, Sal, also have a music background, both being major music stars. Other cast members from the music industry include DJ Xclusive (who plays Jide), and Toni Tones (who plays Trish). “It’s great to see how this blend of movie and music has played out tonight, all the brilliance shown not only by the music cast members, but especially by the traditional Nollywood cast members as well, who really made this a pleasant experience,” said Vector.

Lara and the Beat also has an original music soundtrack produced by ace music producer Tee Y Mix, with significant input from the team at Universal Music Group in Nigeria.