Around And About Nollywood

Eko International Film Festival begins at the Galleria

THE 2nd Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF) started yesterday at the Silverbird Galleria, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island and will run through July 14. Faruk Lasaki’s spiritual thriller, Changing Faces, is to open the festival, which will run from 9am to 12 noon daily. This, is, however, the Nigerian premiere of the film that has been hailed as a metaphysical romantic thriller. The movie has been shown in a couple of international festivals abroad. A Nigerian filmmaker but not of the Nollywood stock, Lasaki is one of the filmmakers making Nigeria proud in the international arena. He is also an accomplished producer of award winning commercials and documentaries. Coming at the heels of Changing Faces will be the African premiere of Emmanuel Itier’s multiple award-winning movie, The Invocation, narrated by the famous Hollywood actress, Sharon Stone. The Invocation is a thought provoking film about God and World Peace. Also to grace the EKOIFF screens will be Ubaka Joseph Ugochukwu’s award winning flick, Lilies of the Ghetto. The film shot in Jos and about life in the ghetto, is one of the notable Nigerian films expected to draw crowds at the festival. Also, expected as special guest at the five day long festival is Lara Lee. Lee is a popular filmmaker, who is based in New York City. She is celebrated as the director of the documentaries Synthetic Pleasures and Modulations, as well as for her involvement with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, in which Israeli naval forces killed at least nine pro-Palestinian activists. Lee is the founder of the Caipirinha Foundation, a member of the Council of Advisors to the National Geographic Society and the producer of the São Paulo International Film Festival.

Ukraine-Nigerian film week ends in Abuja

THE maiden edition of the Nigeria-Ukraine Film Week ended on Saturday in Abuja. An initiative of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the Embassy of Ukraine, the Week, which started at the Silverbird Galleria Abuja on July 6, is part of policy measures to strengthen the cultural and diplomatic ties between both countries, using film. At the opening ceremony attended by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Nigeria, Mr. Valerii Vasyliev; Managing Director of the NFC, Mr. Afolabi Adesanya noted that the weeklong event would provide the necessary road map for sharing experiences in art, science and technology peculiar to both countries.  The film week is also held in collaboration with the Ukrainian Centre for Education, Science and Culture (UCESC), which over the years; has been playing an important role in fostering cultural and trade relation between Nigerian and Ukraine.


NFC extends Essay Competition entry date

.  The statement urged all interested participants who should be 18 years old to either email; md_nfc@hotmail.com  or  contact@nfc.gov.ng  or visit



… Parleys NEXIM Bank for more funds for Nollywood

MORE funds to boost film production activities in Nigeria are underway, just as NEXIM Bank and the Nigerian Film Corporation have both expressed their determination to engage in sustainable policy development and implementation to ensure that the Nigerian motion picture industry gets its desired place in the local and international creative economy. Both agencies, equally noted that the Nigerian motion industry had demonstrated its ability to play critical role in the global economy, with its great potential as a tool for empowerment, cultural growth and international diplomacy. The NFC and NEXIM Bank expressed these concerns when their chief executives, Mr. Afolabi Adesanya (NFC) and Mr. Roberts Orya (NEXIM), met in Abuja recently. According to the two agencies, the Nigerian motion picture industry has received resounding success and has attracted acceptability globally. Represented by Alhaji Barshir Wali, Executive Director (Management Services), Orya said that NEXIM Bank in the last few years has developed the strong desire of improving businesses across the country and in particular, expanding the business frontiers of the Nigerian motion picture industry. This, he said, would cause a synergy between the bank’s vision and expectations of the Nigerian people. Earlier, Adesanya expressed appreciation and commended management of NEXIM Bank for its efforts in assisting and ensuring that Nigerian motion picture sector grew, through leveraging on local and international platforms. The film industry, he said, required urgent intervention in the areas of manpower development and sustainable funding. Adesanya said effort had been on to establish the National Film Development Fund (NFDF) for the sector since 2006, and regretted that efforts to have the film fund take off have been hampered by absence of would be fund investors.  As a critical aspect of the Nigerian creative economy, Adesanya said the film fund would take care of the challenges of film production, construction of complexes and capacity building for the sector and others. NFC, Adesanya said had been inundated with enquires by film practitioners on the status of the $200m Presidential Intervention Fund announced late 2010 by President Goodluck E. Jonathan, and how it can be accessed.  In collaboration with NEXIM Bank, similar to the NFC/SMEDAN funding collaboration, the Nigerian Film Corporation, the NFC boss said, will continue to engage in activities that aimed at sustaining the growth of the industry. Consequently, The NFC would undertake a critical appraisal of the proposed guidelines to enable for local and offshore funding of the sector as proposed by NEXIM Bank. Both agencies agreed to set up an inter-agency technical committee, to consider proposals for an initial investment in the sector by NEXIM Bank to the tune of N460 million.



Final call for Nollywood’s Next Action hero

THE need for professional stunt artistes and expertise in martial art content in Nollywood movies is the reason the Natty Bruce-led Nollyactions Entertainment Limited has come up with a reality show aimed at celebrating the pride of African hero. Titled Nollywood Next Action Hero, the reality show, Bruce explained, would prepare shortlisted participants on the rudiments of how to break into action movies and how to stand out in action packed movies. Bruce, who is a notable industry stunt director and who has worked on a number of films including Ifeanyi Onyeabor much anticipated epic film, Tribe, explained that winners of the reality show would be playing major roles in an explosives action packed movie. However, participants would be expected to pay a token sum of N5,000 to enter for the show while the final audition is to hold between 9am and 7pm on August 1 at the SWAN Hall, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Additional information could be sourced at www.facebook.com/natty.idigogu.