Branwen Okpako, One of the Best NIgerian Filmmakers Outside Nollywood

Prof. Branwen Kiemute Okpako ,  Nigerian born Welsh German filmmaker and scholar, a Chancellor’s Fellow is one of the most accomplished NIgerian filmmakers profiled in the third edition of my NOLLYWOO MIRROR® Series, the first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

Branwen Okpako was born in Lagos/Nigeria. She received a BSC in political sciences from Bristol University, England in 1991, followed by MFA equivalent in film directing from the German Film & Television Academy, Berlin (dffb) in 1999. Her graduation film Dreckfresser (Dirt For Dinner 2000) won several international awards including First Steps: The German Newcomer Award for Documentary film 2000, IG Media Award (DOK-Leipzig) 2000, Distributions prize from sales 2000, The 24th Duisburg Film Week Award of the city of Duisburg for the best newcomer film Award, Bavarian State Government Documentary Award “The Young Lion” 2001, Best graduation film at the See Docs Dubrovnik festival 2001.

The fiction feature Valley of the Innocent (Tal der Ahnungslosen, 2004) had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film festival in 2003 and went on to compete in the feature film competition at FESPACO in 2005. For her documentary film The Education of Auma Obama, Okpako received the 2012 African Movie Academy Award for Best Diaspora Documentary, the Festival Founders Award for Best Documentary at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles (both in 2012), and the Viewers Choice Award at the Africa International Film Festival (2011). Her documentary-drama, The Curse of Medea (Fluch der Medea 2014), about the life of the late German writer Christa Wolf, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2014.

Branwen Okpako is Associate Professor at UC Davis in the Department of Cinema and Digital Media and is currently completing her sixth feature film entitled "Chibok Girls" based on the 2016 book of the same title by Helon Habila.

Women's football teams ‘Give AIDS the Red Card' to keep children free from HIV

25 Jun 2011 10:06 Africa/Lagos

Women's football teams ‘Give AIDS the Red Card' to keep children free from HIV

GENEVA, June 24, 2011/location>)/ -- Captains of national football teams competing in the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 soccer championship in Germany are signing up to the Give AIDS the Red Card appeal in support of a global plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015. The Give AIDS the Red Card appeal, which was launched by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) one year ago at the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa, uses the power and outreach of football to unite the world around stopping new HIV infections in children.


UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said, “As the most important international competition in women's football, this tournament provides a platform to raise global awareness about the campaign to keep babies from becoming infected with HIV, and their mothers from dying from AIDS.”


Every day more than 1000 babies are born with HIV. However with access to HIV counseling and testing for pregnant women and their partners, and treatment when needed, the risk of transmission can be brought down to less than 5%.


On signing the pledge, team captains appeal to football players and fans across the world to ‘celebrate life and support the global campaign to prevent mothers from dying and babies from becoming infected with HIV'.


The FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 is taking place from 26 June to 17 July. So far five captains have signed the appeal; Faye White (England), Sandrine Soubeyrand (France), Rebecca Smith (New Zealand), Ingvild Stensland (Norway), and Christie Rampone (United States).


“One of the great things about representing our country on the big stages is the opportunity for us to support causes we care about,” said U.S. Women's World Cup Team captain Christie Rampone. “I signed onto a global campaign called Give AIDS the Red Card which helps to generate political action towards ending the AIDS epidemic among babies and young children around the world. I am confident about linking this noble cause with the game we all cherish.”


Rampone, who is among the more experienced U.S. players and will be playing in her fourth World Cup added, “UNAIDS asked the U.S. soccer team to help lead this campaign around the world, and we are happy to lend our support on a global stage to a global problem. The UN wants to end pediatric AIDS by 2015 and so do we!”


The captains of the other competing teams, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Japan, DPR Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, and Sweden, will also be encouraged to become “Red Card Advocates” by signing the appeal during the tournament and publicize global efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015.


There are 34 million people globally living with HIV, of whom 22.5 million are in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite progress towards the goal of eliminating new HIV infections among children, in 2009 alone there were 370,000 children born with HIV, bringing to 2.5 million the total number of children under 15 living with HIV.


The 2011 Women's World Cup is one of several high-profile football championships, including the 2012 African Nations Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, leading up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, that can provide platforms for raising wide awareness about the campaign to eliminate HIV in children.


Distributed by the Africa Press Organization (APO) on behalf of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

Source: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

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Mission to Berlin

Frank Adekunle Macaulay at the venue of the 61st Berlin International Film Festival


Frank Adekunle Macaulay the Director of Photographer and CEO of Frank Adekunle Macaulay Production and Christian Nwankpa, one of the Executive Producers of Dangeous Men and an executive of the production company Gu International Pictures (G.I.P) went to the 61st Berlin International Film Festival, Berlinale to promote their movies and meet with prospective partners for international co-productions and distributions.



Christian Nwankpa at the venue of the 61st Berlin International Film Festival



Christian Nwankpa at the venue of the 61st Berlin International Film Festival


DANGEROUS MEN is a thriller by GuGu E. Michaels an accomplished filmmaker who has worked as a director and producer on a number of commercial and independent projects including the feature films "Thugz", "Repentance" and "Dangerous County". He has also helmed a number of campaigns for retailers like Cadillac, Lamborghini and Porche. Prior to co-founding New Era Pictures, Michaels served as president of Dallas based Redrumm Records and worked with such artists as hip hop giants UGK.



Frank Adekunle Macaulay at the venue of the 61st Berlin International Film Festival

Bookmakers Fear Octopus

Oracle Octopus Paul predicts Spain to win World Cup‎ -

8 Jul 2010 18:33 Africa/Lagos


Bookmakers Fear Octopus

MANCHESTER, England, July 8, 2010/PRNewswire/ -- The likes of Ronaldo, Rooney and Messi may have failed to hit the heights this World Cup, but an Octopus called Paul with psychic powers has emerged as one of the real stars of this tournament.


Paul's accuracy at predicting match results is gaining him a cult following and the Octopus has the bookies running scared.


Paul, who resides in a tank at Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, has correctly predicted all of Germany's World Cup results - including their 1-0 defeat against Spain.


The two-year-old octopus - who was actually born in Weymouth in England, predicted Germany's wins against England and Argentina, and even Serbia's defeat of Germany in the group stage.


The eight-legged tipster makes his selection by choosing food from two containers, one marked with the flag of Germany and the other their opponents. However the Octopus is also turning tipster for the World Cup final between Spain and Holland.


On line sports betting firm Betfred.com are offering odds of 4/6 that he will come down on the side of Germany in Saturday's match and 11/10 he again risks incurring the wrath of his home country by picking Uruguay.


The same firm can't split Spain or Holland and they are both 10/11.


Punters can also get 15/8 he picks out two winning teams, 11/8 he gets just one of his selections right and 2/1 his amazing run comes to an end and he sides with a pair of losing nations this weekend.


Betfred.com spokesman Mark Pearson,


"The punters are now backing Paul's selections and if his run continues he will cost us a few squid. The bookmakers will want this tipster to become Calamari."


For those who think the Psychic Octopus Paul has more to offer than just football predictions, the talented octopus is 8/1 to star in the next James Bond film!


For all the odds on the World Cup go to http://www.betfred.com/


Contact - Mark Pearson; mark.pearson@betfred.com


Source: Betfred.com

Contact - Mark Pearson; mark.pearson@betfred.com, +44(0)7702-851-425

Pan African Telecommunications Museum

Dear Publishers and Editors,

We the African Council for Arts & Culture (AFCAC) are a registered Panafrican cultural development organisation based in Germany.

To help commemorate the development of telecommunications in Africa, we are promoting the PAN AFRICAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS MUSEUM (PATM). This museum will showcase the development of wireless communication in Africa from the talking drum to the latest device.

There shall also be permanent and temporary exhibitions with crowd-pulling effects in the museum facilities.
Stakeholders of the African Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sectors who become members of the Pan African Telecommunications Museum will have space to exhibit their brands for as long as they remain members.

Apart from the African ICT stakeholders, membership of the PATM is open to any natural or legal person in singular and plural interested in the advancement of Appropriate Technology, Arts, Culture, Heritage and Social Responsibility.

African cities of the member states of the African Union invited to apply for the hosting of the museum and members will vote for the best candidate city.

To give the cities within your target groups a chance to apply we shall very thankful if you kindly publish the attached press release in your respectful medium (downloadable from: http://www.africac.org/PanafricanTelecommunicationsMuseum.html).


Do not hesitate to contact us for clarifications and details:

Yours sincerely,

Bubacarr Sankanu
African Council for Arts and Culture (AFCAC)
Pan African Telecommunications Museum
Postfach 800144
D-51001 Cologne, Germany

Tel.: 0049152-0444-246
Fax: 0049221-9646-412
Emails:princebubacarrstm@africac.org [mailto:princebubacarrstm@africac.org]
secretariat@africac.org [mailto:secretariat@africac.org]
Site:http://www.africac.org/PanafricanTelecommunicationsMuseum.html