Kanu Excite Fans in New Movie

Nwankwo Kanu, the man at the centre of
the movie titled ‘Lion Heart: The Kanu Story’,
has expressed his desire to include a
reward system in the movie project for ball
fans. Kanu, who expressed this desire at the
unveiling of the first promotional poster for
the movie during the week, explained his
motive for such gestures.
“My life story will be incomplete if I do not
involve the fans who truly love me.
“Imagine those fans who approach me each
time at the airport just to take a photograph
with me; imagine how many homes have
framed my pictures either while playing
football or just walking down the street. To
me, this is love, and I must show them I love
them too. This movie project will not be
complete without rewarding some of such
people,” observed the Super Eagles and
Portsmouth of England forward.
Lion Heart, which is currently being filmed
in Nigeria, London, Amsterdam, the USA,
South Africa and India, is slated for global
premiere in September this year.
It is a documentary feature that chronicles
Kanu’s inspiring rags to riches story from a
unique perspective that delves into his
journey into the world of soccer from his
humble beginnings in Owerri, his struggle
with a near-fatal heart condition at the peak
of his football career and the heart surgery
in Cleveland, Ohio. His tribulations and
triumph at Arsenal, Ajax, Portsmouth and
other big clubs in Europe are all well
captured in this classic movie.
Neil Oyenekan, the producer of the movie,
has assured that these fans would be part
of the movie, pointing out “a great story is
told from several perspectives and
including the fans in the story of an African
icon is a great idea”.
He added that besides getting the views of
the regulars who may have had a personal
or professional relationship with Kanu, it is
quintessential to also document the pictorial
experiences of those individuals who
recognize and idolize Kanu without
knowing what kind of person he is at close
quarters; “we’d like to unravel the motive
behind this adulation and know what the
fans are thinking because you really have
to admire someone before you walk up to
him to request for a photo opportunity”, he
noted.
Oyenekan hinted that there are fans who
have taken more than a dozen photographs
with Kanu over the years “and we would
just like to see these pictures and also get
more perspectives from the fans that had
these pictures taken”.
James Amuta, the movie’s promoter, in a
statement in Lagos, gave insights into the
modalities for participating in the first of a
series of fun-filled activities designed to
reward the Kanu fans.