By Gideon Maxwell
July 30, 2025
Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has hailed Nigerian filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson, who recently made history as the first Nigerian to win an Emmy Award, for his powerful documentary that tells the deeply human story of ballet dancer Anthony Madu.
Celebrating him in a statement on his social media page, Osinbajo described Benson’s Emmy-winning film, Madu, as a quiet yet stirring portrait of courage, sacrifice, and the cost of pursuing excellence. The film follows the journey of young Anthony Madu, who left his home in Lagos to chase his dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer abroad.
“Watching Madu was a profoundly moving experience,” Osinbajo said. “It was not simply a film about ballet. It was a quiet portrait of courage, sacrifice, and the cost of excellence.”
He recalled one particularly emotional scene—a video call between Anthony and his parents—as a moment that captured both pride and the emotional weight of the journey. “It was honest. It was human. It was deeply Nigerian,” he said.
Osinbajo praised Benson for recognising something extraordinary in the young boy dancing barefoot in the rain, and for choosing to tell the story without fanfare or embellishment. “In choosing to tell that story with just truth and beauty, he invited the world to see us as we are—not as a headline, but as people. With dreams, with struggle, with promise,” he said.
Benson’s Emmy win, Osinbajo said, is a victory not just for the filmmaker but for all Nigerians who dare to dream and create. “Kachi’s win is not only his. It belongs to every Nigerian who dares to dream. It belongs to every child who feels unseen. It belongs to a nation whose greatness is often quiet but undeniable,” he said.
He concluded with a tribute to Benson’s impact: “We celebrate you, Kachi. You told our story with grace. And in doing so, you made history.”
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Joel Kachi Benson’s Madu, produced in partnership with Disney, won the Emmy for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary at the 45th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards held in New York—making him the first Nigerian to win an Emmy Award.
