Showmax’s ‘Princess On A Hill’ takes the workplace drama form into sinister, anxiety-inducing territories.
There is no greater place to find gripping drama than in a corporate workspace. The stiff, calculating and ruthless games that guide the corporate world offer a peek into the psyche of the human condition; our quest for ascension, our desire to be seen, heard and respected, and more than anything else, our unending pursuit of power.
In Showmax’s latest series Princess On A Hill, which premiered today at the ongoing African International Film Festival (AFRIFF), power and agency drive the motivations and needs of the characters. Starring Onyinye Odokoro, Bimbo Manuel, Efa Iwara and Iretiola Doyle, Princess On A Hill takes the workplace drama form into sinister, anxiety-inducing territories. The high-stakes story follows Zara (Odokoro), who, after winning a reality show highlighting and rewarding exceptional corporate talent, finds herself at the bottom of the rung again. When she is given a new opportunity steeped in the possibility of danger and the chance to lay claim to her wildest ambitions, Zara is forced to rethink her perception of the world and herself.Brilliantly acted (Odokoro submits one of her most versatile and daring performances yet), and deliciously paced, Princess On A Hill has all the makings of prestige television, the kind with characters that stay on our minds long after the episode is over. That was a successfully articulated goal for the co-directors Tolu Ajayi and Abiola Sobo.
‘Princess On a Hill’ follows Zara, who, after winning a reality show highlighting and rewarding exceptional corporate talent, finds herself at the bottom of the rung again.
Photo courtesy of Showmax.
Spotlighting corporate culture
“When you're in corporate culture you tend to see how it changes people. They start all bright-eyed and as they're given targets and promotions, the psychology of the person starts to change. Those aspects are dealt with in Princess On A Hill,” Ajayi tells OkayAfrica. The directors say they were particular about making Zara, a true underdog who rises from immense difficulties to the top of Lagos’ corporate ladder, someone to root for, someone the audience can see themselves in.
Ajayi, who has had a long career in corporate before moving to the creative world, is making another return to corporate drama with the series. Having worked on the celebrated feature Over The Bridge, Ajayi considers the corporate world to be richly intuitive. “Corporate culture is like an excellent theater,” he says. “I’ve been in boardroom battles, I’ve seen companies start and companies die, and many of us worked in that culture, but it’s probably one of the biggest theaters that hasn’t been reflected with reality in a long time.”
Compelling female characters from Showmax television shows have had a history of finding a strong audience in Nigerian viewers.
Photo courtesy of Showmax.
Creating an unforgettable character
From Diiche in Diicheto Wura in Wura, compelling female characters from Showmax television shows have had a history of finding a strong audience and resonating with a progressive unit of Nigerian viewers. Zara is certainly set to join that rank. While she is easy to root for, Zara is also unpredictable; sometimes clear-headed and rational, other times consumed by nerves and treacherous self-doubt. An air of apprehension hangs around her even when things seem to be going her way; she is rarely at rest. These conflicting characteristics offer a great balance to a lovable, if sometimes annoying character thrust into an unfamiliar world.
For the directors, that perpetual sense of anxiety was intentional and going with Odokoro for the role was easy. “It’s Onyinye [Odokoro]. Every time we see her, there’s something uneasy about her, and every time the camera starts rolling, she just kind of delivers exactly what we’re trying to communicate,” co-director Sobo says. “We also tried to ensure that other elements; the lighting and the mood helped elevate that apprehension you feel when watching the series.”
For directors Tolu Ajayi and Abiola Sobo, the perpetual sense of anxiety in ‘Princess On a Hill’ is intentional and going with Onyinye Odokoro for the role was easy.
Photo courtesy of Showmax.
A likely new hit
A strong part of the series is its subtle critique of the culture of performance. Like many things in this world, people are forced to perform for work, for relationships, for their right to exist, and in Princess On A Hill, the characters are constantly performing for a place in a mostly exclusive world. The show opens with Zara as a finalist on a reality television show, setting the stage for this theme. While uncommon, the perversion of reality television and publicized competitions for love or cash prizes was something the directors were interested in.
“Reality shows are today’s theater. People find the person they can relate with the most and the person they vibe with the most and it becomes [their] choice,” Ajayo says. “Now with social media, we're always auditioning for something, for someone's presence of mind, and to be liked by someone or a group; and that matters a lot in how you're selected for things. So that element of today's reality needed to be inserted in the story.”
A strong part of ‘Princess On a Hill’ is its subtle critique of the culture of performance.
Photo courtesy of Showmax.
Princess On A Hill subverts the rules of formulaic television by taking elements of genre television into one story. “When we were talking about it, we touched on different shows that are kind of similar and how we could tap concepts from them, and it was exciting because it felt like a fresh start and a chance to do something different,” Sobo says.
A likely hit, both directors are optimistic that viewers will build a connection with Zara, but also find themselves in a unique moral position. “I think people would be putting themselves in her shoes thinking, how would I navigate this? How would I do it if I'm placed in this scenario?,” Sobo says.
