Monday, June 10, 2013

The Association of Nollywood Core Producers and the Ignorance of FIAPF



 Mr. Alex Eyengho, President of the Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP).

When Mr. Frank Dallas, notable Nollywood producer and front-line member of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP) and the PRO of the Actors Guild of Nigeria ( AGN ) dismissed the Association of Nollywood Core Producers ( ANCOP ) over their disagreement on the plans for the much awaited centenary celebration of Nigeria in 2014, many people did not know why.  In February,  Frank Dallas  said ANCOP is an unrecognized group, because it is actually a faction of dissatisfied  members of AMP.

 Mr. Zik Zulu,  President of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP).


"ANCOP is not relevant, neither is it recognized. They are just a group of charlatans who failed an election and went ahead to form a group to fool themselves’ Dallas was quoted by Olamide Jasanya on Trends Nigeria on Feb 5, 2013, 7:32am.  But four months later, the President of the Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP), Mr. Alex Eyengho has become the first African to be made Vice-President of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) after an election held at the last General Assembly of FIAPF in Cannes, France on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

"My election is not about me or ANCOP. It is about deepening the Nollywood brand. It is about attracting maximum respect to Nigerian film producers at the international level. It is about Nigeria. It is about Africa. This is a confirmation and testimony to the fact that we are on the right track in Nollywood," Eyengho told journalists after his election in France.

The  FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films) created in 1933 is an organization composed with only 30 member associations from 27 of the leading audiovisual production countries. FIAPF is also in charge of regulating international film festivals, including some of the world's most important ones. But FIAPF has only been more relevant to the European film industry and has not contributed anything to Nollywood. In fact, majority of the members of FIAPF have not participated in the Leap International Film Festival (LIFF) of Mr. Madu C Chikwendu of ANCOP and LIFF is not even on the list of the international film festivals in the directory of FIAPF.

It is even wrong for FIAPF to recognize a disputed faction of Nigerian producers without due verification from the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC). It shows the professional ignorance of the General Assembly of FIAPF and enough for me to dismiss it as being uninformed and misled by ANCOP that does not represent the leadership of Nigerian film and television producers.

The most accomplished film and television producers in Nigeria belong to the Association of Movie Producers (AMP) and  Independent Television Producers' Association of Nigeria (ITPAN) and they are yet to recognize the faction called Association of Nollywood Core Producers ( ANCOP ). Therefore ANCOP does not represent the body of producers in Nigeria.

Some Nigerian producers who have lost relevance in the mainstream leadership of the Nigerian film industry or Nollywood have a habit of rushing to form and join both local and international organizations that have contributed little or nothing to the development of the Nigerian film industry.
What has made Nollywood the largest and most popular film industry in Africa is our movies and numerous film projects and not joining international bodies without the consensus of the accomplished stakeholders in Nigeria.
 Therefore, I will advise all serious Nigerian film and television producers and other practitioners in the motion picture industry to focus more on making quality movies and projects that will boost the Nigerian film industry and contribute to the socioeconomic development of Nigeria and not seeking relevance by forming or joining local and international organizations that only want to leverage on the success of Nollywood for their own partisan and selfish interests.


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, Publisher/Editor of Nollywood Mirror, Founder/CEO, Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema and Executive Director of the Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project.

 

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5 comments:

ANCOP said...

The down side of social media is that every idiot can upload all sorts or stupid and erroneous piece on the platform. But let us put it on record that Chima, mischievously did not quote ANCOP’s reaction to the said statement credited to Dallas, a failed actor who can never be bold enough to claim the title of a producer in any serious Nollywood rendezvous hosting serious-minded producers.

Chima erroneously and or mischievously stated that FIAPF has only been more relevant to European film industry and has not contributed anything to Nollywood. How else can a man advertise his ignorance on the Internet! So America, Canada, India, Brazil, Argentina, China, Japan, Egypt, Iran and several other member nations of FIAPF are all European countries? This joker of a guy should have at least visited the website of FIAPF at www.fiapf.org before advertising his ignorance and disgracing Nigeria.
The truth is that FIAPF has added value and will continue to add value to all its member-nations including Nigeria. For instance, in October 2012, FIAPF in conjunction with ANCOP organized the maiden edition of an international copyright forum at the Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. Nollywood stakeholders across board attended the workshop and attested to the value-adding benefit. The second edition of the forum will come up this October at the same venue, though with different but relevant topics to the industry. Also in November last year, Nollywood was for the first time in the history of the establishment of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) formally presented to its General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. It was a huge success. Yet, Nigeria, through the platform of ANCOP only joined FIAPF in May 2011! This is in addition to other advocacy role FIAPF is playing in Nigeria through its network.
This Chima fellow also stretched his ignorance to a ridiculous level when he seem to be vexed that “majority of FIAPF members have not participated in the ‘Leap International Film Festival (LIFF) of Mr. Madu C. Chikwendu of ANCOP, and LIFF is not even on the list of the international film festivals in the directory of FIAPF”. Even if this Chima is a family member of Chikwendu and Dallas, must he do this dirty job from the position of ignorance? So if we were mentioning International Film Festivals, Chima would mention Madu’s LEAP or LIFF? That epileptic gathering is not even qualified to be described as a village film festival! I have told Madu Chikwendu that before. FIAPF members accredit and attend only International Film Festivals. Once we have one in Nigeria, it will be so accredited, period.
Chima also cried over FIAPF’s inevitable and irreversible recognition and registration of ANCOP. He even said FIAPF did this without verification from the Nigerian Film Corporation. Is this Chima so dumb? Perhaps we need to show him the congratulatory messages Mr. Alex Eyengho/ANCOP received from NFC, NFVCB (National Film and Video Censors Board), and Federation of Pan-African Filmmakers (FEPACI) etc. We also urge Chima and his co-travelers to see the current NFC directory (which was distributed at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival) and see if ANCOP is not conspicuously listed there as a leading Producers’ Association in Nigeria.
Chima also gibberish about AMP and ITPAN and indeed stated that these older producers associations were yet to recognize ANCOP. ANCOP is fully registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria. The fact on ground is that ANCOP is the only internationally affiliated producers association in Nigeria today. The world is manifestly a global village and an abrasive and ill-informed Chima is proposing that Nollywood should not be part of this global groove.

EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima said...

There is no need to write an essay in my response, because your statement that ANCOP is the only internationally affiliated producers association in Nigeria today exposes your PROFESSIONAL IGNORANCE AND FALSEHOOD, because ITPAN is more recognized internationally than your overnight losers producers ANCOP.
Apparently you are a shameless liar and ignoramus to deny the international recognition of the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria, (ITPAN) that was hosting the renowned Lagos International Forum on Motion Picture, Cinema and Video in Africa for over five years with the recognition of the Embassy of France in Nigeria and participation of other international bodies.

I hope you can read well and so see the following links to improve your knowledge of the Nigerian film industry.

Editorial: Nigerian Film Industry
by Dr. Gloria Emeagwali
http://web.ccsu.edu/afstudy/upd11-2.html

ITPAN Hosts 6th Lagos International Film Forum
http://archive.wn.com/2006/07/01/1400/p/12/4095466d98f987.html

Sithengi partners with European Film Funds, African Film Festivals and Industry Organisations to Launch a New African Co-production Forum (ACF) Initiative.
http://www.africultures.com/php/index.php?nav=murmure&no=2791

OVERVIEW OF SHOOT! TRAINING SERIESm --The Impact Of Its Broad Spectrum
http://al-amin-ciroma.blogspot.com/2009/08/overview-of-shoot-training-seriesm.html

The list is endless.

Then answer the following questions.

When and how was your faction called ANCOP formed?

I am ready to address your professional stupidity and the ignorance of FIAPF in a public forum.
You Nollywood opportunist.

How many movies have you produced?
Can you name them?
When did you start going to international film festivals?

Where were you before ANCOP?

If you called Frank Dallas a failed actor?
Then what are you?
A FAILED PRODUCER.

TV/Film producers are known with their cameras and movies and not going about in a hat and a walking stick like a Nollywood clown.

EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima said...

On social media, the Facebook page of ANCOP on http://www.facebook.com/pages/ASSOCIATION-OF-NOLLYWOOD-CORE-PRODUCERS/108201705877856 is enough proof of your backwardness compared to Nigerians Report on Facebook on https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nigerians-Report/236184879749399

ANCOP said...

I can see you rabid hatred for ANCOP borne out of envy. Is that why you and your principals set up this junk platform? My brother, as we say in Waffi where I hail from, 'e don tey". Your principals know me. I don't quit. Ask them. We know the relevant people in ITPAN so don't preach to the converted. If not that you only seem to know how to use social media upside down,you should have googled my names and ANCOP for all the pedestrian questions you asked. My achievements in Nollywood including movie nominations and awards are in the public domain!You certainly are a disgrace to yourself, family and Nigeria. The people who sent you to do this dirty job know the stuff we are made of in ANCOP. Mark my words, you will still go on your kneels and beg us for survival in this industry. I will remind you when that time comes. For now, I'll allow you to continue progressing in error. Doom is around the corner!

EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima said...

You have only confirmed and proved my point that your faction of a splinter group of the Association of Movie Producer (AMP) is a one man circus show of Alex Eyengho.
That is why my report noted that you have misinformed and misled the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). Your splinter group called “Association of Nollywood Core Producers” (ANCOP) does not represent Nigerian TV and film producers.

You are in fact the one disgracing yourself and doomed as your replies have shown that you are incoherent and you have a problem with articulation and comprehension since you failed to answer my simple questions and cannot provide references as an educated person would have done. You cannot even show me links to the movies you have made and instead chose to resort to the gutter language of your background. What is “Waffi”? Is it in the English dictionary?
Yes, I actually “googled” your names and found nothing worth noting on this world class news and information website which you cannot even comprehend or navigate, because of your poor knowledge of social media since you cannot even boast of your own domain and your ANCOP does not have an official website and your Facebook page shows your laziness, sloppiness and unprofessional attitude in running an organization. Show me the official website for ANCOP so that people in the global village can visit and access for news and information on what ANCOP is all about and what ANCOP is doing? Can you give me the address of your secretariat? And can you give me a directory of your members?

The fact that you insulted the efforts of a fellow member of your ANCOP Mr. Madu Chikwendu in your unprofessional language shows your ignorance and incompetence by calling Mr. Madu’s international film festival an “epileptic gathering” that “is not even qualified to be described as a village film festival!”
See who is talking?
You who cannot even have a good professional website, except a free for all Facebook page is insulting a hardworking and major stakeholder who has been the head of the Association of Movie Producers and represented Nigeria at international film festivals. The fact that you have failed as ANCOP to support one of your members to develop his international film festival proves my point that you have misinformed, deceived and misled FIAPF by lying that there is no international film festival in Nigeria when there are internationally recognized annual and biennial film festivals in Nigeria like the Zuma International Film Festival of the Nigerian Film Corporation, Abuja International Film Festival organized by Mr. Fidelis Duker, a former President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) and recently appointed President of the African Festival Network (AFRIFESTNET), a continental body for all festival organizers in Africa and a proven filmmaker, Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) organaized by Chioma Ude, IREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival which is in alliance with the West African Documentary Film Forum, WADFF; and Documentary Network Africa, DNA; and shares interest in activities of other organizations concerned with positive development of filmmaking in Africa and the rest of the world, Plateau International Film Festival, Jos, Plateau State., Festival of Indigenous African Language Films, Akure, Ondo State, In-Short Film Festival, Eko International Film Festival, Life House. Festival and others organized by the diplomatic bodies in Nigeria.

I have addressed your case professionally and as every reasonable person can see that the only thing that is junk here is your own badly articulated replies and the gutter language of your “Waffi” background.

When you give me the links to the official website of your ANCOP, your own custom domain (not Facebook), directory of the members of your ANCOP and the address of your secretariat (not your residence), then I will give you the privilege of another reply. But until then, please don’t post your “Waffi” gutter language on Nigerians Report Online again.