Son of the Soil, a fast-paced action thriller film set in Nigeria, stars Razaaq Adoti as Zion Ladejo, a man on a revenge mission following the brutal murder of his sister in his local neighborhood in Nigeria. Directed by British-Chinese filmmaker Chee Keong Cheung, the film explores crime, revenge, betrayal, redemption and gangsterism, offering a distinct perspective while drawing stylistic parallels with films such as Jadesola Osiberu’s Gangs of Lagos and Editi Effiong’s The Black Book. It also stars Patience Ozokwor, Iretiola Doyle, Damilola Ogunsi, Sharon Rotimi, Taye Arimoro and Durotimi Okutagidi, among others.
On Son of The Soil, Adoti is more than just the lead actor. He also wrote and co-produced the film with Wingonia Ikpi of Boxonia Blueprint, Ioanna Karavela, Andreas Roald and Cheung himself. With his contributions across different units of this project, he leaves his mark on the Nigerian film industry for the first time. Adoti, born in England to Nigerian parents, has previously featured in films such as Black November, The Summoning, Black Gold and The Experience.
Son of The Soil was available for screening at the 10th edition of Black Star International Film Festival (BSIFF 2025) in Accra, Ghana, which was held from September 24th to 28th, 2025, where it won Best Director, Best Film and Best International Showcase awards. It also premiered at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF 2025) in Lagos, Nigeria, winning the Audience Choice Poll award on the AFRIFF Globe Awards night on November 8th, 2025.
This exclusive interview with Adoti has been condensed for clarity.
TNR: Son of the Soil is described as an international film even though it was shot in Nigeria. The story is about a man who loses his sister, returns home seeking vengeance and tries to reconcile his inner demons. You authored the story, played the lead role and were also part of the production. What inspired the story?
Razaaq Adoti: It started as a conversation with myself and the director I had worked with on The Experiment a couple of years before Son of the Soil. During our conversations, I was aware of his production company and the kind of projects they had been involved in. We had seen different things happening across the continent and outside it as well, and we felt there was space to create something that was more accessible. We looked at other films and definitely watched Target as a point of reference. We felt it was important to tell an international feature where the protagonist is an indigene of the land he returns to. Many times, especially in stories set around the U.S., this is the framework.
We wanted a protagonist who comes back to a once beautiful and peaceful town he had left behind, only to find it overrun by dealers from the U.S. and the spread of fentanyl also coming from the U.S. With the mystery surrounding his sister’s death, he finds himself becoming a man on a mission. For me, that was the starting point.
When I began shaping that narrative, I could see myself in parts of it. His language, his background, and his motivations felt real. We all relate to that in one way or another.
Writers often have different approaches. How long did it take you to author the story?
The process behind this project had a few differences compared to others. I spent a lot of time on location, going back many times just to see what was actually accessible to us. There were things we simply did not have, so I knew we had to be smart and innovative with the locations that were available.
I kept looking around and studying visual elements. Those visual elements helped shape the story and guided how everything would eventually come together. For me, the pre-writing process is always much longer. For some people it is different. They have an idea and go straight to writing.
For me, the pre-writing took months or even a year. I write in my head long before I write on paper. I also take time to think through my own questions about the story. Once I switch into actual writing, I can complete it quickly. I can finish a script within a month, sometimes one or two months, because by that point I already know what I want to do.
Then comes the second part, which is what appears on screen. There is a lot you do not see on screen. Some things are based on assumption because you cannot include everything. Sometimes, it is due to time. Other times, it is because of pacing or other creative decisions.
How much of what you wrote made it to the screen?
I would say about 75% of what I wrote made it onto the screen. Sometimes, as a writer, it’s the smaller things that don’t make it in and you are a little pained about it. This is because the writer is emotionally connected to the project. But look at it from a producer’s point of view, then you understand why things have to be cut out, why certain parts need to be sacrificed for the greater good. The producer is concerned about what is going to sell to the audience.
You played the lead role, and the character seems very physical. How much preparation went into embodying him?
We were supposed to initially shoot in 2023 and, while I was working towards that moment, something happened and we shifted filming to 2024. I was already preparing and so I just continued the progress. I knew my character required a lot of physicality because I wrote it myself. It was so much work in such a short amount of time.
There was definitely more physical stuff that we wanted to do, but again it was about deciding what was needed and right for the timing and pace of the film. But it wasn’t too difficult to maintain the physicality. I play football almost all the time because I am such a fan, and I am always active to stay healthy.
The director mentioned that the film was shot over three weeks, which is very intense. As a co-producer and lead actor, what challenges did you face filming in Nigeria?
My mother’s family are indigenes of Ikorodu and, as a child growing up in Nigeria, Ikorodu was where I spent most of my time. It was the town I truly knew; so, it felt natural to set the story there when writing. But, as production progressed, we explored different parts of Lagos and eventually shot in Idi Araba as well, which is quite different from Ikorodu. Moving from Ikorodu to Idi Araba shifted the tone of the story in ways I didn’t initially expect.
Then, we discovered amazing locations in Bariga. There was a moment during filming when Zion had to leave home for his mother’s safety and hid out in a place situated in Bariga. To reach the structure where he stays, you actually have to get on a boat. We filmed that entire experience, though it didn’t make the final cut. In the end, I had to let go of my emotional attachment to Ikorodu, because the film simply worked better in the new locations, something I had not envisioned. Production kept moving from one place to another for various reasons.
We also faced familiar challenges with funding. Between 2023 and 2024, the value of the naira dropped significantly, and our planned budget suddenly couldn’t stretch. We had to explain that to investors, but people believed in the project.
We had to get permission to shoot in several places. Director Cheung is of Chinese-Asian descent, and our production manager Hopkins is not Nigerian either; so, we needed help with the locals. My cousin, Tunde Tijani, took us to meet the baale, and we had to kneel to receive his permission and blessing to shoot on the land. It was a whole cultural experience that I found amusing, especially seeing the white men observing the required reverence.
We also settled the area boys and even included some of them in the film. One still texts me saying they miss us. I recall, while shooting, we planned to use a rat for a torture scene, though it didn’t make the cut. I told the guys what we needed, and they came back within minutes with two rats. They really went out of their way to help us. I genuinely hope we can do a screening in Idi Araba and Bariga someday ahead of its cinema release. Without those communities, this film would not have been possible.
It is clear that Wingonia Ikpi spearheaded the casting for the film, which brings together veterans such as Ireti Doyle and Patience Ozokwor with other exciting actors of the current dispensation. Were you, in any capacity, involved in this process?
Wingonia handled much of the casting, but I also reached out to some actors myself. I messaged and pitched the story to them, explained the budget, and asked if they would be open to reading the script and joining the project, if it resonated with them. I am grateful to everyone who said yes, especially Patience Ozokwor (Mama Gee), who went out of her way to be part of it. She genuinely lent herself to the work.
You have worked in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Nigeria. How do you see international collaboration shaping global storytelling, especially within Nollywood?
What I love about Nollywood is that it is inherently our own. It is our perception of the world and our own reality. We are unapologetic about our stories. We tell them how we want to and there is power in that.
Coming from overseas, I have seen how Africa is often portrayed negatively in the media or in films. So creating something from within from our perspective matters a lot. Yes, Son of the Soil deals with dark themes like drugs and violence, but every action film needs conflict. The bad in this story is imported. It is a foreign poison brought into the land.
So, ultimately, Zion’s fight is symbolic. He is cleansing his home from external corruption. It is not just action for its own sake; It is about reclaiming identity and self-determination.
What do you hope audiences in Nigeria, Africa, and the diaspora would take away from this film?
I hope they see that it is more than a series of fights or explosions. There is a real story with real people you care about. It speaks to universal truths. Zion’s experiences are extreme, but his emotions are human: grief, anger, love and hope. Many people will relate to that on some level.
There is a line in the film that says, “What profits a man who gains the world but loses his soul?” I think that captures the essence of the story. It is about greed, morality and redemption.