WhatsApp releases the teaser for “Naija Odyssey,” a short film on Giannis Antetokounmpo

Details: According to WhatsApp, the 12-minute short film set to premiere on Prime Video on September 21, 2022, will follow Antetokounmpo’s “origin story of many origins as he reconciles his roots, birthplace and sense of belonging between cross-cultural worlds.”

The film will feature the Greek-Nigerian basketball champion and his mother, Veronica narrating different moments in his life as journey loosely based on Greek epic poem ‘The Odyssey.’

“In Greece, my teachers told stories of travelers battling the sea, fighting to find their way home — to find themselves,” Antetokounmpo narrates in the trailer. “I was on that same journey.”

Watch the trailer:

“‘Naija Odyssey’ is a story that reinforces how WhatsApp helps us embrace our multifaceted lives,” said Vivian Odior, WhatsApp’s global head of marketing on the inspiration for the short. “In navigating relationships, identity, and even adversity, WhatsApp is there – enabling you to embrace all sides of you by connecting you to those who matter most.”

‘Naija Odyssey’ directed by filmmakers Nono Ayuso and Rodrigo Inada and edited by Mikkel E.G. Nielsen. The short film comes in the wake of Disney’s ‘Rise’, a biopic of the Antetokounmpo. The Akin Omotoso directed feature film premiered in June to critical acclaim.