Ahmad Alkanawy speaking on a panel at Abuja filmfest....last year

Kwankwasiya film festival debuts in Kano

The Kano State Executive Council has approved the institution of an annual film festival christened Kwankwasiya Film Festival. The festival is to be organized by the State Censorship Board. Director of the Festival Ahmad Alkanawy disclosed that the festival would make its debut on March 18 and would run through March 20. It will be held under the theme Connecting Nigerian People Through Films. Alkanawy also hinted that the festival, which will hold at the Muritala Muhammed Library Complex in Kano, would attract practitioners and festivalgoer’s from within and outside Kano state. It will feature screenings, workshops and panel discussion on the state of Kannywood. Kano state is acclaimed to be the hub of movie production up north and it is the operational base of the motion picture industry up north called Kannywood. The industry has been receiving tremendous attention from government since Governor Rabiu Isa Kwankwaso assumed office as Executive Governor of the state. The Kano state Censorship Board has been transformed while an academy for the development of talents and capacity for Kannywood was established. The Kwankwasiya festival is clearly one of Governor Kwankwaso contribution to the promotion and development of Kannywood.

New Lagos AGN 'sole' Wisdom Nwankwo

Lagos AGN gets a sole administrator

Wisdom Nwankwo has been appointed sole administrator of Lagos state Chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN). Nwankwo replaced Emeka Rising Ibeh, the AGN Lagos chair for over 5 years who was reportedly sacked for deliberately extending his stay in office as chairman. The AGN constitution prescribes 4 years tenure maximum for any elective office. However prominent members of the AGN have in time past accused Emeka Rising of ‘high handedness’. He was also accused for ‘’running the guild as his personal property. The constitution also provides for interim leadership in matters like this. Nwankwo according to the decision of the National Executive Council announced by the actor and Vice President South West of the AGN Jibola Daboh is to oversee the running of the guild until a new chairman is elected for the vibrant Lagos chapter of the AGN.

Glitz, glamour of AMVCA 2013

Glitz, glamour of AMVCA 2013

papa ajasco on set

Papa Ajasco goes public again

Those who have yearned to see a live performance of the popular and longest running television comedy series in Nigeria Papa Ajasco and Company have a chance to see the cast perform live. Both old and new fans of the series are in for a treat as Wale Adenuga Productions has announced that the much loved characters would as from 2013 be available again for bookings to perform live at events across the country, having recently concluded the recording of material for the next season of the popular TV Show. According to Wale Adenuga Jnr., the Managing Director of Wale Adenuga Productions and wapTV, “Whatever type of occasion it is, be it a wedding, product launch, birthday party, etc, you can be sure that with the inclusion of the Papa Ajasco & Company Troupe, Nigeria’s Number One Comedy Group, you and your guests are sure to have a unique, unforgettable, laughter-filled experience!” The group, which includes Papa Ajasco, Pa James, Boy Alinco and Miss Pepeiye have performed professionally in several corporate and family events all over the country for over 10 years with exciting storylines laced with clever satire which make celebrants, guests and other attendees of all ages and social classes laugh and learn at the same time. The series remains the most watched Comedy Programme on Nigerian Television and on cable television. It is aired weekly on wapTV Network (StarTimes 222) and 20 other key TV stations across the country.

Ini Edo and Tonto dazzle in Playing Safe

Moviegoes and fans of two of Nollywood’s top female actresses Ini Edo and Tonto Dike have a chance to see them dazzle in a soon to be released movie titled Playing Safe. No doubt, both actresses are steadily growing their profile as thespians in the Nollywood circle. Ini and Tonto are lead characters in Playing Safe and those who have seen the movie say they put up a superlative performance. Fresh from the stable of Diamond Groove Pictures, Playing Safe is a romantic thriller that features some of the industry’s leading actors like Jibola Dabo and Ghanaian actress Martha Ankomah as well as Sexy Steel, Ik Ogbonna and Johanness Meyer. It’s a story of young ladies who draw lessons from past failed relationship. Observers say that the combination of Tonto Dike, who earned her cinema debut in Uche Jombo’s My Life My Damage and Uyo born actress Ini Edo, will sure provide audience with breathtaking experience. Shot in Lagos, Dubai, Ghana and London and due to be released in March, the movie was directed and produced by multiple awards winning actor cum producer Elvis Chucks. Elvis is the Producer of Victims of the society, True Citizen and A wish, a hilarious comedy featuring Funke Akindele.

yvonne okoro

Yvonne Okoro here on March 22 for Contract

Popular Ghanaian actress Yvonne Okoro is set to premiere her new movie titled Contract. The movie which stars South Africa’s Hlomla Dandala and Nigeria’s Joseph Benjamin in lead roles was directed by the award winning director Shirley Frimpong Manso., Yvonne has secured a March 22 date for the star studded premiere which will hold at the Silverbird Cinemas, Ikeja, Lagos. Contract as Yvonne explains tells the story of a successful 40-year-old bachelor, Peter Puplampo (Hlomla Dandala), who, despite his mother’s persistent attempts to find him a woman, sticks to his rule of non-committal casual dates, freedom and being in control of his life, until the desire to have a child.

Superstory’s Itohan hot among viewers

The latest story from the multi award winning Superstory series titled Itohan: A Call to Action continues to be a hot topic of discussion among viewers across the country due to the exposure that the storyline is giving to the dangers and ills of Human Trafficking and Child Abuse and this has brought commendation from the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP). The story primarily revolves around a young lady, Itohan, who is traveling to Europe through an illegal route, with genuine aspirations to be signed on as footballer in an European Club but is being deceived by a gang of men who intend to sell her and some other young ladies to a notorious prostitution ring once they get there. Itohan: A Call to Action is a collaborative project between NAPTIP and Wale Adenuga Productions Ltd and is aimed at supplementing the efforts currently being made by the Agency to battle the scourge of trafficking in persons and its attendant human abuses in its entire ramification. The written story was shot in several prime locations within and outside Nigeria and makes use of top Nigerian actors as well as sourcing cast members from the different places where it was filmed in order to effectively interpret the powerful story. The Superstory series is one of the most popular TV Drama in Nigeria, being watched by millions of ardent viewers every week on NTA Network, wapTV Network (StarTimes Channel 222), AIT Network, TVC Lagos, Superscreen Lagos, and NTA 10 Lagos.

the coveted AMAA  crest

President Banda with AMAA CEO Peace Osigwe

 AMAA 2013 nomination still in Malawi, Bayelsa to host awards

All roads will lead to Malawi from March 13, as the organizers of the annual African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) will unveil nominees for the 9^th edition of the award. On March 15 The nomination ceremony where nominees for the 24 categories of the award will be announced will hold on March 15 and will be hosted by Malawian President Joyce Banda. AMAA is regarded as Africa’s answer to the Oscars and filmmakers from all over Africa and Diaspora who sent in entries for the 2013 awards are looking forward to a good outing. A total of 671 films were submitted for AMAA in 2013 according to statistics provided by the Director of Administration of the AMAA Tony Anih. Giving the breakdown of the entries, Anih revealed that 184 short films, 108 Diaspora features - documentaries and shorts films, 60 documentaries from Africa and 319 feature films from within and outside Africa including films made by Africans living abroad were received. The AMAA head of admin explained that the number of entries received showed a great improvement compared to an average of 300 films that were entered in previous editions. 

As Anih observed: ‘’This year is a milestone for AMAA as the award will hold its 9th edition and surprisingly the French speaking African countries have finally embraced the award as the best and biggest in Africa. I want to give kudos to the promoters of this award for the commitment and dedication. We are happy about this development. We have ensured that the integrity of the award remain unassailable and this account for the level of huge participation across Africa and the Diaspora’’. The award proper will hold in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State on April 20^th

iREP Director Femi Odugbemi

iREP docufest is March 21 in Lagos

The 2013 edition of iREPRESENT (iREP) International documentary film festival will hold from March 21^st to March 24th 2012 at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island and Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos, Nigeria. The annual festival according to the iREP Executive Director and co-founder Femi Odugbemi will feature over 30 screenings of films addressing different aspects of the festival core theme from filmmakers from across the Diaspora.  Odugbemi disclosed that the 2013 edition would also feature panel discussions, a session on Project Pitching and a Producers Round-table. The theme of the festival as Odugbemi informed is conceptualized on the framework of Africa in Self Conversation’ and it is expected to explore the theme of ‘Reconnection’ which was inspired by the famous quote by the late Ghanaian leader and statesman Kwame Nkrumah “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me’. However the scope of the iREP Festival as Odugbemi said, would cover such areas “as the need for rediscovery – spiritually, morally, socially, politically and economically – a reconnection with our true identity and values, and the potential of this resulting awareness to be used as a tool for reshaping the African nation”. The former President of the Independent Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN) who hinted that the Dean of African Studies of the New York University Professor Awam Amkpa would deliver the keynote speech maintained that the discourse of the African identity begs for more than mere rhetoric of race and space. He described Africa as a world that is alive in every African, at the most misunderstood and abandoned, yet, it is undeniably present. Information on festival can be sourced at www.irepfilmfestival.com. I-Represent International Documentary Film Festival is an annual festival dedicated to promoting awareness about the power of documentary films to serve as a means of deepening and sharing social and cultural education as well as encouraging participatory democracy in our societies. 

Michelle Bello

Flower Girl set to premiere in Ghana

Flower Girl, the romantic comedy with the signature of emerging director Michelle Bello is due for a premiere in Ghana on April 5 at the Silverbird Galleria, Accra. The movie stars Ekwu Edewor, Damilola Adegbite, Chucks Chukwujekwu, Chris Attoh, and Bikiya Graham-Douglas in lead roles. It was first premiered on February 14 at the Silverbird Galleria with over 200 people in attendance including the lead actors and celebrities from the entertainment industry, the media, sponsors of the movie premiere, friends and colleagues. “Flower Girl’’ revolves round the life of a shy florist (Kemi) who is desperate to tie the knot with her long-time boyfriend (Umar).  In a desperate bid to make him jealous, she teams up with a most unlikely ally (Tunde), a famous Nollywood star. Directed by Michelle Bello (Small Boy) and Co-Produced by Michelle Dede (Big Brother Nigeria) the movie benefited from the amazing talent of the award winning Art Director Bola Bello (AMAA award winner for Direction: Small Boy), award winning screenwriter Jigi Bello (Shooter, The Waiting Room) and Director of Photography James Costello (2011 African & Nigerian Critics Award winner for Cinematography: Inale, and DP of Last Flight to Abuja and Black November). Proudly sponsored by blue chip organizations including the Guardian Newspapers, NLPC Pension Fund Administrators Limited, Gregoose/Martini, Newton and David, Tanus Books, Bella Naija, African Movie Entertainment (MNET), Vanguard Newspaper, Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Yellow Chilli Restaurant, Beeta Universal Arts Foundation and Jungle Filmworks, Flower Girl was reportedly voted the number one movie in the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas on Valentine’s Day and it also ranked number one in the Nigerian movies charts despite having no major Nollywood stars in a leading role.

PREVIEWS....PREMIERES AND MORE

nuella Njubigbo

Nuella Njubigbo Exposes Nollywood in New Movie, Jujuwood

Those who want to know some of the secrets behind the road to stardom for some screen celebrities should watch Jujuwood, a new movie with the signature of the prolific Tchidi Chikere. Produced by fast rising actress, scriptwriter and producer Nuella Njubigbo, Jujuwood unravels the mystery behind the quest for stardom and exposes the hassles of being an up and coming act in Nollywood. It also tells the untold secret of how low some starlets will stoop just to achieve their big dreams of being celebrities. With a celebrated cast, which includes Nuella Njubigbo, Funke ‘Jenifa’ Akindele, Halima Abubakar and Ruth Kadiri Jujuwood is a movie about girls in the entertainment world; their lusts for fame and the lengths they are willing to go to be famous. Billed to be released in April, Jujuwood is one of the many movies Nuella, an indigene of Anambra State and a graduate of Government and Public Administration from the Imo Sate University has produced. The actress has featured in so many movies including Another Level, Beautiful Colour and Money never sleeps. Nuella first came into Nollywood as a scriptwriter in 2005 before making her debut as an actress in the movie Royal Destiny. Jujuwood is the first she has signed as an EP.