14 months after hitting cinemas, the crime thriller “Unforgivable,” distributed by Blue Pictures Distribution and produced Aisre Pictures, is now available on FlicksOn.
The film was launched on the African diasporan-themed video-on-demand platform on September 23, 2024, for $2.99.
Starring Timini Egbuson and Nancy Isime, “Unforgivable” follows a young man striving to clear his name from allegations of raping his girlfriend and subsequent confrontations with law enforcement. The film premiered in cinemas on July 28, 2023, garnering positive reviews.
Speaking to TNR, director Osezuah Elimihe shared the rationale behind the launch.
“We’ve been waiting on Netflix for ages, going this way means we lose them,” he stated.
The director-producer revealed that the decision to partner with FlicksOn stemmed from diminishing interest from traditional distribution companies, who expressed skepticism about the film’s potential performance on Netflix.
“Clearly the distributors did not present the movie to Netflix as they claim. They told me ‘Unforgivable’ doesn’t fit the types of movies Netflix and Amazon Prime are currently acquiring.”
Suspecting foul play, he noted the hesitancy of distributors to push the film.
“The distributors informed me that Showmax rejected the film on quality grounds. I requested the specific email from Showmax to understand their reasoning, but the distributors never provided it.My feeling is that they wanted the movie to stay down till they would begin to say it’s too old,” he laments.
The relatively low publicity surrounding both the film and the FlicksOn platform presents a financial gamble that even Elimihe admits.
But the director is not giving up on his movie just yet. His latest decision, he says, is just one step in overcoming several hindrances pitted against him and his career. In December 2023, Elimihe had previously released a 20-track album associated with with the film.
Watch the movie on FlicksOn.