Emmanuella Samuel makes international debut in Australian film

Nigerian YouTube sensation and comedienne Emanuella Samuel has made her international debut in an Australian action film.

The 10-year-old makes a guest appearance in Survive or Die which follows the story of Shade, a 16-year-old refugee who escapes from her war-torn African country lands her in a remote and uninhabited part of Australia.  

THE STORY BEHIND ‘SURVIVE OR DIE’

Survive Or Die follows the story of Shade, a refugee whose escape from her war-torn African country lands her in a remote and uninhabited part of Australia.

She must reach civilisation whilst fighting for her life in the harsh terrain and from a hunter on a quest for revenge over the death of his son. The film went on a two-year festival tour before its 2020 and 2021 release on Amazon Prime and YouTube respectively.

Director and Producer Daniel Okoduwa told Pulse Nigeria the inspiration behind Survive or Die. “Millions of people are displaced across the globe. Many are trapped in wastelands and dead lands; many more have drowned in the seas while fleeing conflict zones”.

“Refugees are crossing borders making many governments nervous, unbalancing internal politics and giving rise to nationalism, racism and xenophobia. As the world becomes more dangerous doors are shut and walls come up. This movie is based on real-life stories and events”.

Okodukwa also said that many of the scenes in this film are drawn from real-life experiences and events.

“In the 90s as a very young boy, by accident or chance, I found myself on a boat in West Africa. We sailed through the Atlantic Ocean for days an experience I can only describe as hell on water. I eventually got lost in the very heart of Africa and continued my journey through central and Southern Africa picking up languages, experiencing different cultures but above all picking up survival skills.”

WHO IS EMANUELLA SAMUEL?

• Emmanuella Samuel is a 10-year-old Nigerian Comedienne who is originally from Imo State but was born in Port Harcourt, River State in July 2010.
• She made her debut on the Mark Angel YouTube channel with her “this is not my real face oh” skit at the tender age of 5
• She recently won the Favourite African Social Media Star category at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2021
• Samuel has more than 5 million subscribers on her YouTube channel with over 1 billion views
• According to Buzz Nigeria, she has a net worth of $150 000

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNsTS-XMQrf/

The director, Okoduwa told Pulse Nigeria that the inclusion of Emmanuella may be the reason behind the film’s views on YouTube.

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