Chinese cinema is officially making massive waves in West Africa! This past weekend, on October 25, the gritty action-thriller The Shadow’s Edge took the ultimate crown—Overall Best Film—at the 23rd Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF) in Nigeria.
If you’ve been keeping tabs on RADII, you already know we called it. We previously covered the film when it first dropped, hyping up the absolute insanity of seeing the legendary 71-year-old Jackie Chan step into what is easily his darkest, most brutal role yet. Surrounded by a powerhouse cast of rising Asian stars, the film brings a visceral, hyper-stylized energy that action fans have been craving.
Winning big in Nigeria—a country with a massive, vibrant film industry (Nollywood) of its own—is a huge flex for Chinese cinema. The Shadow’s Edge faced off against a fiercely competitive lineup of incredible local and international films, but ultimately secured the bag thanks to its groundbreaking combat sequences and Chan’s phenomenal pivot into darker territory. It’s a massive cross-cultural win, proving that elite martial arts storytelling hits hard no matter where you are in the world.
Cover image via IMDB.