The Seven Ages of Olajuwon
Directed by Bobby Herrera. Sixteen years in the making, and one of InkBlot's own.
In Production · Finishing 2026- Director
- Bobby Herrera
- Executive Producer
- Erik Becker
- Producers
- Aaron Bowden, Damon Davis, Luke Terrell
- Contributing Producer
- Kirsten Johnson
- Production Companies
- InkBlot Narratives, Lupita
- Format
- Feature documentary, approximately 100 minutes
Olajuwon Akeem Ozreal Raheem Lamar Xavier Davis was named for his stillborn twin, seven names carrying the weight of a family's expectations. This film follows him across more than sixteen years of footage: a promising student, a young father, a working actor and musician, until his activism during the Ferguson protests drew FBI scrutiny. At 21, he was drawn into a sting operation, labeled under the FBI's "Black Identity Extremist" classification, and sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
The Seven Ages of Olajuwon picks up his life after incarceration: rebuilding fractured relationships, raising his children, and reclaiming a story that was taken out of his hands, as an actor, musician, and community advocate.
Bobby Herrera has directed the film across its full run, producing it with Aaron Bowden, Damon Davis, and Luke Terrell under Lupita, the banner he and InkBlot are producing it through together. Erik Becker executive produces, and Kirsten Johnson is attached as a contributing producer. It's fiscally sponsored through Film Independent, was selected for Doc Station at Berlinale Talents in 2024, and carries support from the Berlinale Pro Initiative.