Babaeko’s ‘Ramat’ premieres at AFRIFF, moves audience to tears

An eight-minute short film inspired by the assassination of former Nigerian Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, has drawn an emotional response from audiences at the 15th edition of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), with viewers erupting into applause after a moving screening on Thursday.

Titled Ramat, the film was written and directed by Steve Babaeko, Chief Executive Officer of X3M Ideas, and had its African premiere on Day Five of the festival, screening simultaneously in two halls.

The film revisits the morning of February 13, 1976, when news broke that General Murtala Muhammed had been assassinated in a failed coup attempt.

It tells the story through the childhood memories of Babaeko, who recalled how his father, then a serving military officer, broke down in tears upon hearing the news.

According to the filmmaker, it was the first and only time he witnessed his father cry, an experience that remained deeply etched in his memory for five decades.

Fifty years after the incident, Babaeko has transformed the childhood experience into a personal cinematic project, marking his first major directorial work outside his established career in advertising.

Speaking to the audience before the screening, he described the project as significantly different from the commercial productions he had handled over the years.

“I have been on set for hundreds of commercials. I know what a set feels like. But this film scared me,” he said.

“Because this is not a client’s story. It is mine. Like every major achievement in my life, I did it scared.”

The emotional impact of the film extended beyond the screening, as Babaeko used the occasion to announce a scholarship commitment for Samuel Adebola, the child actor who portrayed him as a young boy.

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He disclosed that his foundation would sponsor Adebola’s entire university education in recognition of his performance in the film.

“Samuel plays the boy watching his father cry for the first time. He found something in that role that I had not seen on a face since I was that boy myself,” Babaeko said.

Explaining the motivation behind the gesture, he added: “If this film is about anything, it is about what we pass on. What one generation carries so the next one does not have to.”

Ramat was selected from hundreds of submissions for AFRIFF’s 15th edition, placing Babaeko among filmmakers showcasing their works at the international festival.

The project represents a departure from his longstanding career in advertising, where his agency, X3M Ideas, made history in 2023 by winning Nigeria’s first Cannes Lions award.

Following its African premiere, the short film is expected to pursue opportunities on the international festival circuit, with planned submissions to Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France, Berlinale Shorts in Germany, the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Brussels Short Film Festival.

The international festival campaign could provide pathways towards eligibility for major global film honours, including the Academy Awards and BAFTA, depending on the film’s eventual selections and compliance with their qualification requirements.