Sunday, October 30, 2022

AFRIFF 2022 To Host The African Premiere of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"

AFRIFF 2022 To Host The African Premiere of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"

The Walt Disney Company in association with Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) and FilmOne Entertainment has officially announced that Nigeria will host the official African premiere of Marvel Studios’ "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" at the AFRIFF 2022.

In a statement by Moses Babatope and Kene Okwuosa, Co-founders of FilmOne Entertainment, official distributors of the movie in English West African territories, said: “Being instrumental to the release of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" in West Africa is a proud achievement and a milestone for us and the entire FilmOne team, it will be celebrated for a long time. We are excited and fully committed to working with The Walt Disney Company to deliver a grand African premiere, even as we channel all our arsenal towards realizing a momentous box-office performance for the title.”

Chioma Ude, the Founder and Executive Director of AFRIFF said: “We are excited and proud to be a part of the premiere of this milestone film here in Africa. This is huge for the continent of Africa as it symbolises to us further bridging the gaps between the global film industries.” 

“We couldn’t be more excited to be bringing "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" to Lagos this November,” said Christine Service, Senior Vice President and General Manager for The Walt Disney Company Africa. “Working closely with our long-term distribution partners FilmOne and this association with AFRIFF, we are anticipating a wonderful celebration with Nigeria’s cinema-goers and Black Panther fans.”

Directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" opens in cinemas from November 11th.

The duration of AFRIFF is from 6-12 November 2022 at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

Theme: INDIGENOUS FOR GLOBAL

Opening Film: Nanny

Prime Video’s award-winning psychological horror film by Nikyatu Jusu.

“Nanny” stars Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Rose Decker, and Leslie Uggams. The film follows Aisha (Anna Diop), a woman who recently emigrated from Senegal to West Africa, who is hired to care for the daughter of an affluent couple (Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Spector) living in New York City. Aisha is haunted by the absence of the young son she left behind. Aisha hopes her new job will afford her the chance to bring him to the U.S. but becomes increasingly unsettled by the family’s volatile home life. As his arrival gets closer, a violent presence starts to show up in both her dreams and her real life, putting her American dream, which she is working hard to build, in danger

Closing Film: Almajiri by Toka McBaror

The annual Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is the most vibrant film festival in Africa and the #1 international attraction and destination for film tourism in West Africa.

AFRIFF attracts over 100, 000 people annually from Nigeria, America and other countries with filmmakers, actors, movie aficionados and stakeholders in the film industry from within Africa, America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia since it started in 2010 with all the glitz and razzmatazz of glamour and fanfare.

Oscar Day

5 November 2022
11.00 AM - 7.00 PM

AFRIFF Oscar Day Outline

Oscars Student Academy Awards Forum 
Oscars International Film Awards Forum
Two special seminars on the behind-closed-doors selection and voting process of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS),  presented by long-time Executive Committee member and acclaimed filmmaker Lawrence David Foldes. 
Followed by the Nigerian Premiere of Foldes’ award-winning feature ”Finding Home” with a post-screening Q&A on the making of the film.  Register online a day before the scheduled events or onsite 2 hours prior, to gain access.

See the complete programme on 
https://www.afriff.com/

AFRIFF 2022 is attracting more global attention than the previous editions. Hotels, resorts and rendezvous hangouts in Lagos will benefit from the international guests and visitors.

The members of the international jury for AFRIFF 2022 have been announced and they are all accomplished professionals in the film industry.

AFRIFF 2022 JURY

DANNA STERN

Producer, Global Content Executive.
Stern is a seasoned executive producer working across borders, genres and formats. As the founder of the Israeli-based yes Studios, Stern created a distribution and development content powerhouse, focused on delivering premium content for international platforms. She has been credited with helping bring Israeli content to global audiences and is responsible for the successful launches of numerous titles including “Fauda", "Shtisel", “The Devil Next Door”, “On the Spectrum", "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem" etc.

LAWRENCE DAVID FOLDES
Award-winning Filmmaker.
 
Critically acclaimed award-winning filmmaker behind several cult hits. He was recognized as the youngest professional filmmaker on record when he produced his first feature, the teen cult classic “Malibu High” at the age of 18.
 
This was followed by the cult underground horror favourite Don’t Go Near the Park (which became one of the infamous banned ‘Video Nasties”) and popular action features like “Young Warriors” starring Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine and “Nightforce”.

FEMI ODUGBEMI
Filmmaker and TV Producer 
 
Femi Odugbemi is a filmmaker and TV Producer. He is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has served as a four-time Head Judge of the prestigious Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA).
 
He has also been a Juror of the Emmy Awards, 3-time Head of Jury of the Uganda Film Festival, a Juror of the Johannesburg International Film Festival South Africa, and recently a Juror/Mentor of the NETFLIX/UNESCO African Folktales Re-imagined project.

KUNLE AFOLAYAN
Award-winning Filmmaker
 
Ace movie Producer/Director, Adekunle Ayodeji Afolayan is one of Nigeria’s foremost “2nd generation filmmakers “and the son of the highly respected Adeyemi Afolayan (Ade-Love), a passionate theatre artist who co-pioneered the movement from travelling theatre to the celluloid film format as introduced by Ola Balogun.
 
Having trained as a Business Administrator, and with a career in Banking, Kunle was cast into Tunde Kelani’s multiple award-winning movies Saworoide, earning him the first accolades and first appeared in the industry. In his commitment to self-improvement and professional excellence.

STEVE GUKAS
Executive Producer
 
Steve is a multi-platform producer/director with experience spanning Television, Radio, Theatre, Advertising and Film. He has a Diploma in TV Production from the NTA Television College in Jos and studied Theatre Arts at the University of Jos from where he graduated with a BA and is an alumnus of the prestigious London Film School.
 
Steve is the producer of award-wining Namibia – The Struggle For Liberation” the film premiered at the 2006 Pan African Film Festival in L.A. His other credits as producer/director include, “Keeping Faith” and “A  Place In The Stars”. He Co-Produced and Directed 93Days a feature film about the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and has been screened at numerous film festivals along with several awards locally and internationally. This was followed by producing the award-winning film "Living In Bondage: Breaking Free", a sequel to the industry-defining film "Living In Bondage".

SYRINTHIA STUDER
Executive Vice President, Acquisitions for Paramount Pictures. 
 
Studer is responsible for acquiring films for theatrical release, as well as for worldwide distribution across multiple platforms. 
 
Among her recent acquisitions are the breakout comedy Book Club starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen, and the action-packed caper Overdrive, starring Scott Eastwood.
 
Studer previously held the position of Senior Vice President of Marketing and Acquisitions for Paramount Pictures’ Worldwide Home Media and TV Licensing divisions, where she launched and managed the studio’s efforts focused on ancillary-driven acquisitions, overseeing the negotiation and acquisition of groundbreaking domestic and international films.

WAFA' A HALAWI
Actress, Writer and Filmaker

A Lebanese/French actress, writer and filmmaker. started acting at age 5 and falls in love with theatre, where she finds a home.
In Lebanon, she joins the dance-theatre company Maqamat in 2001 and performs internationally. She also gets cast to act in Khalil Gibran’s play The Blind and various series by Elie Adabachi and Marwan Najjar. 
She also develops the feature fiction script Cello which wins international screenwriting prizes.
Wafa’a just completed filming in the Amazon, where she played the lead role in Brazilian director Marcelo Gomes’ new feature film.

JENNY ALONZO
Creative and Marketing Executive

Jenny is a dynamic, proven leader in content development & production, marketing, multicultural markets, and corporate media strategies/operations.
She has worked on some of the strongest brands including NBC, BET, Turner, IBM, FUSE, AFV, and The Wall Street Journal. 
A member of the executive team that launched Lifetime Television and its groundbreaking positioning of Television for Woman, Alonzo held multiple leadership roles including Senior Vice President of Production & Inventory Strategies, leading a team of 70+ that supported all marketing and creative services efforts for three networks, digital platforms, and multiple franchises. 
In 2021, Alonzo served as the Creative Director for the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in Lagos, Nigeria. 

NICKY WEINSTOCK
Founder & President, Invention Studios

Nicky Weinstock is the founder and president of Invention Studios, an independent creative production company developing a wide range of features and television series for both major American and international platforms.
Weinstock began his career in New York City as an editor at Random House and Riverhead Books, and then as the author of a nonfiction book and two novels, before moving to Los Angeles to develop series at 20th Century Fox Television. He went on to run Apatow Productions with writer/director Judd Apatow, where he produced movies including Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, Get Him to the Greek and Bridesmaids. 

MICHEL ZGARKA
Production & Marketing Executive

Michel Zgarka is an experienced executive with a successful career of over 35 years in the production, communications, marketing, financial engineering and business development fields.
He is highly skilled in strategic and creative planning, marketing and personnel management for the media industry. Mr Zgarka has produced, directed and distributed numerous film and television productions for the international marketplace, including “GUMMYBAR” which garnered over 6 billion views on YouTube.
He has been a guest speaker at over 50 international entertainment industries events as well as the Delegate general of the Montreal Israeli Film Festival whose celebrating its 13th anniversary in 2018.

­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.


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