AFRIFF Announces James Farrell and Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo of Amazon Prime as Keynote Speakers for 10th Anniversary

AFRIFF announces Prime Video’s James Farrell, International Head of Local Originals, and Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo, Chief Marketing Officer, as Keynote Speakers for its 10th anniversary edition!

Lagos, Nigeria –  15/10/2021   

Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), today announces James Farrell, International Head of Local Originals at Amazon Studios, and Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo, Chief Marketing Officer for Prime Video & Amazon Studios, as its keynote speakers for its 10th anniversary edition. The Prime Video leaders will join together in a Fireside Chat for the session at 7.00pm WAT on Sunday 7th November, where delegates will hear more about Prime Video’s plans for future investment in local storytelling in Africa.   

James Farrell is in charge of all Original TV and film created by Amazon Studios outside the US, with recent movies and series including Mixte (France), El Juego de las Llaves (Mexico), Mumbai Diaries 26/11 (India), The Family Man (India), The Dinner Club (Italy) and LOL: Last One Laughing (versions produced in 11 countries in 2021 including Japan, Brazil and Germany). James Farrell commented: “Here at Prime Video we are constantly looking for the highest quality and most ambitious original content to satisfy our local audiences and more than 200 million Prime members globally.  Being present at the 10th edition of AFRIFF is in line with our goal to search out the most unique voices throughout the world and then move quickly to help bring their visions and stories to life. I’m thrilled to be joining Ukonwa for this keynote session, but most of all, I am looking forward to meeting the talented filmmakers at AFRIFF and start building some incredible projects with them.”

Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo, who originates from Nigeria, is an experienced global marketing leader. She joined Prime Video & Amazon Studios in 2020 as Chief Marketing Officer, leading global brand and originals marketing from Amazon Studios’ Los Angeles headquarters. Since joining, Ojo has overseen the launches of hit global Prime Video movies and series including Coming2America, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, Cinderella and The Underground Railroad. Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo commented: “I’m thrilled to be attending in this landmark year for AFRIFF. At Prime Video we are obsessed with finding unique, authentic stories and supporting them to reach both local and global customers. I’m looking forward to sharing my passion with the talented filmmakers who attend this festival, and collaborating on how we can take African storytelling to a global audience.”

This announcement comes as AFRIFF continues to solidify itself as Africa’s most innovative film festival, celebrating African content, film making and a unique platform for the many stories Africa has to share with the world. AFRIFF is focused on building the necessary bridge with the rest of the world. 

AFRIFF founder, Ms Chioma Ude stated; “AFRIFF has continued to scale new heights year after year! After the last 18 months with the pandemic, I am beyond excited to welcome  Film and Television leaders such as James Farrell and Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo to be our 10th anniversary keynote speakers. James and Ukonwa’s visit to the festival is not only a testament to Amazon’s commitment to amplifying global and diverse stories, but also their unwavering support for the foundations built over the years by a very hard-working team, further identifying AFRIFF’s shared values with a global giant such as Prime Video!” 

 

AFRIFF takes pride in celebrating some of the best films in Africa in the Feature, Documentary and Short category through careful selection by its Creative Director and International Jury. This year, about 4,000 films have been submitted in all the categories and the selection process for films that will screen at the festival is currently on going.

 

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ABOUT JAMES FARRELL

As Head of Local Originals, James is in charge of all Original TV and film created by Amazon Studios outside the US. James joined Amazon in April 2015 to lead content for Prime Video in Japan before moving on to other roles encompassing India, Latin America, and ultimately the rest of international in 2018 reporting to Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios.

Local content has been a key driver for the success of Prime Video, and James now manages more than 20 teams based around the world including across Europe, Latin America, Asia, Canada, Australia, India and Africa.

Prior to Amazon, James spent 10 years at Sony Pictures Television with executive roles in Los Angeles, Toronto and Tokyo during that time.  He has an MBA from Columbia Business School, a BA from Middlebury College, and currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

ABOUT UKONWA KUZI-ORIZU OJO

Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo is Chief Marketing Officer, Prime Video & Amazon Studios, responsible for leading global brand and originals marketing. She joined Amazon in September 2020 and reports directly to Mike Hopkins, Senior Vice President, Prime Video & Amazon Studios. 

Ojo was previously Chief Marketing Officer for M∙A∙C Cosmetics, where she oversaw brand positioning and increased M∙A∙C’s presence and appeal to a global consumer in growing markets around the world. She helped drive customer engagement strategies and delivered breakthrough product innovation in order to maximize consumer connection to the iconic brand.

Prior to that, she served as Chief Marketing Officer of Consumer Beauty at Coty, where she led P&L, brand development strategy, advertising, innovation, social/digital, design, and media planning/buying. Other positions include Senior Vice President at COVERGIRL, and brand and general management roles at Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser PLC, General Mills Corporation and Meadwestvaco Corporation.

Over the course of her career, Ojo has been recognized with over 50 awards and honors, including Business Insider’s list of 25 Most Innovative CMOs, World Federation of Advertisers’ Global Marketer of the Year, WWD Brand Builder of the Year, Ebony Magazine Power 100, Financial Times Top 100 List of Minority Executives for three consecutive years, and Fast Company’s Top 100 list of Most Creative People in Business among others. She is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a Member of the Executive Leadership Council.

Ojo is a graduate of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. 

ABOUT AFRICA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (AFRIFF)

 

The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is a celebration of Cinema and filmmaking talent from Africa and the diaspora. It consistently delivers a rich programme to foster invaluable exchanges of ideas, production connections, and business relationships. It creates an energetic and exciting hub for entertainment industry professionals to make rewarding connections and has gradually gained a reputation for delivering incredible value. 

 

The objectives are to develop the film industry to a level where the products compete favourably with their contemporaries all over world; provide a growth opportunity for these film industry professionals to eventually export their products to the world; facilitate access to investors, equipment, technical and skill acquisition through several capacity development opportunities.