The Pawn

A naive corporate employee (Mike) works for a shady mining business which deals in global mineral extractions.
He becomes the target of a gang who was bent on killing him. A co-worker who is an undercover police officer gave his life to save him.
Mike escaped from a killer-gang and blind-commitment to the wrong corporation.
The self-sacrifice expressed in this story is synonymous with the salvation story.
This symbolism of faith carefully situated in a corporate setting and represented by the daily lives of regular corporate employees is a lesson which cannot be overemphasized.

  • Babawale Odunuga
    Director
    "MISMATCH", "ITAAKUN" - STOLON, "THE BUS DRIVER"
  • Babawale Odunuga
    Writer
    "OBINRIN AJEEJI" - THE STRANGE WOMAN, "ITAAKUN" - STOLON, "THE BUS DRIVER", "MISMATCH"
  • Babawale Odunuga
    Producer
    "OBINRIN AJEEJI" - THE STRANGE WOMAN, "ITAAKUN" - STOLON, "THE BUS DRIVER", "MISMATCH"
  • Aaron Zaretsky
    Key Cast
    "Board Chairman"
  • Kevin Foster
    Key Cast
    "Undercover Police-Officer"
  • Tosin Adeyemi
    Key Cast
    "Mike"
  • Vince Groulx
    Key Cast
    "Gang Leader "
  • Iain Mccallum
    Key Cast
    "Board Member"
  • Luanne Ashe
    Key Cast
    "Staff"
  • Hailey Nora
    Key Cast
    "Secretary"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Action, Drama
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 1 second
  • Completion Date:
    November 1, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Lisbon Film Rendezvous
    Lisbon
    Portugal
    November 26, 2023
    World Premieres
    Finalist
  • Lift-Off First-Time Filmmaker Session
    Iver Heath
    United Kingdom
    August 7, 2023
    World Premieres
    Finalist film
  • Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions 2023
    Pinewood
    United Kingdom
    September 20, 2023
    Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions 2023
    Official Selection
  • 21114 - Film fest
    Novi Sad, Serbia.
    Serbia
    August 31, 2023
    Official Selection
  • The Hollywood Guerrilla Film Festival The Hollywood Guerrilla Film Festival
    California
    United States
    September 13, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • A.C.T.S. FILM and MUSIC FESTIVAL
    Winnetka, CA
    United States
    September 3, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Movie Play International Film Festival

    September 18, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Multi Dimension Independent Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 23, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • MoviePlay International Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 18, 2023
    World Premiere
    FINALIST film
  • MoviePlay International Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 18, 2023
    World Premiere
    Best Short film
  • Multi Dimension Independent Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 23, 2023
    World Premiere
    Exceptional Achievement Award
  • Stingray International Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    September 22, 2023
    World Premiere
    Best Short Film
Director Biography - Babawale Odunuga

Babawale Odunuga holds Master of Environment degree from University of Manitoba, Canada. He also holds an Advanced Diploma in Film studies. He is a result-oriented multi-hyphenate who performs a number of different roles such as Film Producer, Motion Picture Director, Cinematographer, Production designer, Screenwriter and Actor at EiPfilms. A professional with attention to details, as well as undying passion for visual story-telling around inequalities, anti-racism, diversity, inclusion, and vulnerable groups.
He founded EiPfilms while studying towards Bachelor degree at Olabisi Onabanjo University in Nigeria, West Africa. EiPfilms as a film production outfit, has since grown from a Drama group into an international film organization boasting of professional Actors and Crew members with global collaborations around the world.
EiPfilms houses community of multi-talented creatives with undying love for arts and filmmaking. These Artistes share common goals and vision of making a difference in the world.
Babawale was a Lead Judge at MZIAIF /ICFF International Film Festival. A Director of Photography for CDMAC Canada. He has directed shorts, feature films and documentaries with many credits under his belt. Some of his low budget Independent films are:
"OBINRIN AJEJI"- THE STRANGE WOMAN, - (2004) - (feature)
THE PAWN - (2020) - (short film)
"MISMATCH", - (2021) - (feature)
"ITAAKUN"- STOLON, - (2023) - Drama Documentary (feature)
"THE BUS DRIVER", - ( 2024) - Episodic film.
Baba! as popularly known has a creative signature of speaking truth to power through political films. These are films that uniquely display activism, advocate for Black Cinema, Black theology, equality, diversity, inclusion and vulnerable groups.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My vision is to create inspirational and politically charged films that possess authenticity, truth, and the ability to challenge viewers' belief systems.
The motivation behind my filmmaking endeavor is to shed light on obscured areas, the grey areas of the society, as well as segment of life where we continue to witness repetitive occurence.
My approach to filmmaking remains consistent across all my projects. I embrace a minimalist approach to bring forth a grand vision, ensuring that excellence is not compromised. By adopting Lean techniques, I strive to minimize waste while pushing the boundaries with limited resources.
The personal connection I have to this particular story is profound. I feel a strong sense of responsibility to share the faith which was once delivered onto the saints. I feel the need to weave the salvation story in a corporate setting. Therefore, the importance of honoring the history of salvation is the sense of duty that binds me to the narrative. This is why I took great care in managing the project. In order to preserve the interpretation, I personally assumed critical roles in the film, handling sensitive aspects with utmost sensitivity. These leadership responsibilities were self-assigned due to my deep connection to the sublime message of the narrative.