Everything We Know About Tiwa Savage’s Acting Debut in "Water and Garri"

Tiwa Savage has been in the news cycle for the last 48 hours. While many have been stalking the megastar’s social media accounts for details on the reported fallout between her and Davido, the only information we have in our very grasp – and authentic too – is that Savage’s first movie has been picked by a global streaming service.

But let’s hit the brakes a bit. The movie, titled Water and Garri, has been in the pipeline for over two years and only trickled into the grapevine of selected press in 2021. It’s not exactly a tightly kept secret. Incidentally, it bears the same title as her last EP, also released in 2021.

Savage wrote and performed the film’s original soundtrack. Whether the songs will appear as a re-release of her Water & Garri EP is unconfirmed. She also serves as one of the film’s executive producers through her Everything Savage company.

Being one of the brightest beacons of Afrobeats today, we are not only excited about Savage’s acting crossover, but also the birth of a new creative universe centering the megastar.

What’s the storyline?

Savage plays Aisha, a fashion designer watching her career take flight in the U.S. After 10 years, she returns to her native home when there’s a death in the family. She soon realizes that things are not the way she left them.

Bouts of violence and tension have turned her homeland into something unrecognizable. As she reconnects with family, old friends, and her past love, she must learn to live with the scars and confront the guilt she left behind.

Shot on Ghana’s Cape Coast, this feels like a drama with emotional stakes, and we can’t wait for the first teaser or trailer.

Who’s the director?

It’s no surprise that Meji Alabi sits in the director’s chair. Aside from shooting a handful of music videos for Savage - Sugarcane, Get It Now, Ma Lo - the Grammy award-winning, Nigerian-British director, filmmaker and photographer is behind a slew of popular Afrobeats hit songs as well, like Davido’s Assurance and Burna Boy’s On The Low.

Directing music videos and films share quite a thin membrane. Remember that Alabi worked with Beyoncé on her Black is King video project in 2020. So we are already in good hands.

Who are the cast members?

So far, Mike Afolarin, Andrew Yaw Bunting, Jemima Osunde make up the cast list. While Afolarin from Nollywood has starred in shorts, telenovelas, and Ema Edosio’s well-received Kasala, his feature in the Netflix series Far From Home brought him into the proper limelight.

Bunting, the Ghanaian actor, is known for his roles in Dynamite (2023), The Trap (2021) and Cocoa Brown (2016). Osunde, on the other hand, isn’t new to Nollywood screens, as many would remember her from her riveting role in Tope Oshin’s New Money (2018).

What streaming service is distributing?

Prime Video picking up the film is arguably the biggest news at this juncture. Launched in the Nigerian market in 2022, the streamer has been on a forward momentum in commissioning original titles and expanding its local content library. A release date has yet to be announced.

Water and Garri joins other preexisting titles like Gangs of Lagos, LOL: Last One Laughing Naija, and She Must Be Obeyed. Aside from Prime Video being the distributor, Water and Garri is a project by Unbound Studios, a leading African production company and its subsidiary company, JM Films.