Showing posts with label Hollywood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hollywood. Show all posts

Saturday, July 22, 2023

Misinformation on Nigeria and Misrepresentation of Nigerians in Hollywood Movies

Misinformation on Nigeria and Misrepresentation of Nigerians in Hollywood Movies


There have been misinformation  on Nigeria and misrepresentation of Nigerians in Hollywood movies. But it is pathetic that, Nigerian actors were paid for their misinformation and misrepresentation of Nigeria and Nigerians in such movies as "The Bourne Identity", 2002 action-thriller with Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as "Nykwana Wombosi". 
No educated Nigerian Yoruba would speak with such accent and speaking the Yoruba language like a stranger from another tribe. And is Nykwana Wombosi a Yoruba name for him to speak Yoruba?

In "The Woman King" 2022 historical film about the Agojie, the all-female warriors of the kingdom of Dahomey during their wars against the Oyo Empire in 
the 1820s, there was annoying misinformation and misrepresentation of the Oyo Empire with Jimmy Odukoya as General Oba Ade Oyo in an attire 
that was not the way the soldiers of the army of the Oyo Empire dressed during that period and there was no sign of the famous calvary of the empire in "The Woman King". Showing the soldiers scampering in fear of explosions of gunpowder was ridiculous and exposed the ignorance and poor research of the producers of the film.

Misinformation and misrepresentation have done collateral damages to the history and knowledge of the facts of civilization.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,
First book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

Friday, June 9, 2023

Stephanie Linus, Robert De Niro, Tiffany Chen, Brendan Fraser and other Stars at 2023 Tribeca Festival



Stephanie Linus with other members of the Jury and Robert De Niro and other VIPs.

Nollywood diva, Stephanie Linus joined Hollywood icon, Robert De Niro, Tiffany Chen, Brendan Fraser and other top stars as the 2023 annual Tribeca Festival started on Wednesday June 7 in New York.

"It is such an exciting festival with many voices amplified, especially women’s voices. It has given a platform for both new and seasoned filmmakers to showcase their works. I am having a great time reviewing the shortlisted films and recommending winners for the 2023 Tribeca Festival, " said Stephanie Linus, the famous Nollywood star who is a member of the Jury.

Robert De Niro is being celebrated with a three-day event later this year to honor his 80th birthday. Mayor Eric Adams presented him with a key to the city. He founded Tribeca Film Festival in  2002. Photo of Robert De Niro from the Tribeca Festival
















The stars were at the premiere of "Kiss The Future"  at the Tribeca Film Festival that runs from Wednesday, June 7 through Sunday, June 18.

A stirring testament to art’s enduring ability to cast light even in the darkest of circumstances, Kiss the Future follows an underground community that worked and created throughout the nearly four-year-long Siege of Sarajevo.

Sensing that a larger voice is needed, an American aid worker makes a longshot pitch to U2 to help raise awareness about the Bosnian capital’s plight. The band immediately agrees and begins a series of live satellite interviews with local Sarajaevans during their 1993 ZOO TV Tour in an effort to highlight the direness of the situation on the ground. After those mid-concert interviews end, the band pledges to play a concert in the city once the conflict comes to a close. And when U2 arrives to perform a long-promised concert, the show becomes a monument to the strength and resilience of the people of Sarajevo, and art’s capacity to inspire and unite.––Jason Gutierrez

The 2023 features program includes 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries. The lineup includes 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere, and six New York premieres. There are 43 first-time directors and 29 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. 41% (45) of all feature films are directed by women and, for the first time, more than half of competition feature films are directed by women at 68% (19). Additionally, 36% (39) of feature films are directed by BIPOC filmmakers, including two indigenous filmmakers.

This year’s Festival also includes a notable number of films directed by actors: world premiere of First Time Female Director by Chelsea Peretti; world premiere of Maggie Moore(s) by John Slattery; world premiere of Bucky F*cking Dent by David Duchovny; world premiere of Downtown Owl by Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater; world premiere of Eric LaRue by Michael Shannon; world premiere of Fresh Kills by Jennifer Esposito; North American premiere of The Listener by Steve Buscemi; New York premiere of Shortcomings by Randall Park; and more.

There are 53 documentary features across all categories including the world premiere of Marvel’s first original documentary Stan Lee by Tribeca alumnus David Gelb as well as world premieres from Academy Award winners and nominees including Julie Cohen, Waad al-Kateab, Morgan Neville, Sam Pollard, Rob Epstein, and Jeffrey Friedman. As an activist festival rooted in the foundational belief that art can inspire change, the 2023 Tribeca Festival showcases numerous documentary features that shine a light on the ongoing war in Ukraine as well as the silencing of artists in Iran.

For the third year, the Tribeca Festival continues its commemoration of Juneteenth through the “Expressions of Black Freedom” program, sponsored by Indeed, which includes a festival-wide celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the world premiere of All Up in the Biz, a documentary about New York hip-hop legend Biz Markie, and the world premiere of Cinnamon, directed by Bryian Keith Montgomery Jr. and starring Damon Wayans and Pam Grier.

The 2023 “Spotlight+” category includes a series of live events that bring the film experience to life following each premiere. A performance from She Is The Music artists, curated by Alicia Keys, will follow the world premiere of Uncharted; Sara Bareilles will give a special performance following the world premiere of Waitress, the Musical - Live on Broadway!; the one and only Gloria Gaynor will perform following the world premiere of Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive; a conversation with Peabody Award-winning news anchor Dan Rather and director Frank Marshall will follow the world premiere of Rather; Gogol Bordello will perform following the world premiere of Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story; a songwriting masterclass by Indigo Girls will follow the New York premiere of It’s Only Life After All; a musical Q&A with Marc Rebillet will follow the world premiere of Songs About Fucking; and a group of dancehall legends will perform following the world premiere of Bad Like Brooklyn Dancehall.

See full program on 
https://tribecafilm.com/press-center/festival/press-releases/tribeca-festival-announces-2023-feature-film-lineup


Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Warner Bros. 100 Years of Storytelling

 By Mark A. Vieira

Foreword by Ben Mankiewicz

Description

In this official centennial history of the greatest studio in Hollywood, unforgettable stars, untold stories, and rare images from the Warner Bros. vault bring a century of entertainment to vivid life.

The history of Warner Bros.is not just the tale of a legendary film studio and its stars, but of classic Hollywood itself, as well as a portrait of America in the last century. It’s a family story of Polish-Jewish immigrants—the brothers Warner—who took advantage of new opportunities in the burgeoning film industry at a time when four mavericks could invent ways of operating, of warding off government regulation, and of keeping audiences coming back for more during some of the nation's darkest days.

Innovation was key to their early success. Four years after its founding, the studio revolutionized moviemaking by introducing sound in The Jazz Singer (1927). Stars and stories gave Warner Bros. its distinct identity as the studio where tough guys like Humphrey Bogart and strong women like Bette Davis kept people on the edge of their seats. Over the years, these acclaimed actors and countless others made magic on WB’s soundstages and were responsible for such diverse classics as Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Star Is Born, Bonnie & Clyde, Malcolm X, Caddyshack, Purple Rain, and hundreds more.

It’s the studio that put noir in film with The Maltese Falcon and other classics of the genre, where the iconic Looney Tunes were unleashed on animation, and the studio that took an unpopular stance at the start of World War II by producing anti-Nazi films. Counter-culture hits like A Clockwork Orange and The Exorcist carried the studio through the 1970s and '80s. Franchise phenomena like Harry Potter, the DC universe, and more continue to shape a cinematic vision and longevity that is unparalleled in the annals of film history. These stories and more are chronicled in this comprehensive and stunning volume. 

Copyright © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.



Sunday, April 16, 2023

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR : The Celebration of The Legacy of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe in Nollywood and African Cinema


The name of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, MFR; will be written in gold in the history of Nollywood and African Cinema. 
I made the 2013 edition of the annual Africa Movie Academy Awards, (AMAA) the cover story of the first edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series to celebrate the unprecedented legacy of her visionary leadership in Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry. 
 
The first edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series documented the phenomenal first indie film industry in Africa producing thousands of home videos telling stories of Nigerians from the past to the present that caught the attention of the rest of the world to say WOW! African magic! That made Ivorian rebels in the bush to stop fighting during their civil war when a shipment of Nollywood DVDs arrived from Lagos. That Zambian mothers said their children were now talking with accents copied from Nollywood movies. That when a President of Sierra Leone asked Genevieve Nnaji to join him on the campaign trail he attracted record crowds at rallies, because of her. 
Yes, Nollywood is our African magic that hooked the world. 



The maiden edition of NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® SERIES is a celebration of the best of Nollywood with a full coverage of AMAA of 2013 with the theme, AFRICA ONE that epitomized the pan African Spirit of African Cinema. 

The following feature on the 20 years of the naming of "Nollywood" is dedicated to the legacy of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe. It will be published in the third edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series celebrating 40 Nigerian female filmmakers in Nigeria and the Diaspora.

20 Years Since The New York Times Named #Nollywood

Norimitsu Onishi was the Chief of The New York Times’s southern Africa bureau, based in Johannesburg when he discovered the phenomenon of the first indie film industry in Africa in 2002 in the hustle and bustle of Lagos city, the heart and soul of the guerilla filmmakers of Nigeria.

How The Times Named ‘Nollywoodin 2002

"It’s like Hollywood or Bollywood but in Nigeria — Nollywood!I told my editor."
Norimitsu Onishi.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/11/insider/how-the-times-named-nollywood.html

The name of Nollywood has become the identity of the Nigerian film industry even though the making of the genre started in the 1980s which I have chronicled in my widely read and shared article, 

The Nollywood Phenomenon: From Analog to Digital - SHADOW & ACT
https://shadowandact.com/the-nollywood-phenomenon-from-analog-to-digital-2

The article shows the evolution of Nollywood over the years and how the digital cinema revolution has made a critical impact in the advancement of Nollywood since 2002.

It is now 30 years since the production of the first Nollywood blockbuster, "Living in Bondage" by Chris Obi Rapu in 1992 written and produced by Kenneth Nnebue and Okechukwu Ogunjiofor. And as we say in Lagos, many waters have passed under the Eko Bridge from 1992 to 2022.

Traditional filmmakers of the old school of filmmaking on celluloid still say Nollywood is video and not cinema. But top people in the global film industry said: Every region has unique stories to tell. And we should encourage them to tell their stories first and not be hindered by the technical requirements for professional film production. That the first thing is to supply on demand, because it was the overwhelming quantity of Nollywood home videos in the 1990s that attracted the rest of the world before the improvements in the quality. 

There have been significant improvements in the quality of the movies as Nollywood filmmakers have been adapting to current developments in filmmaking by using the same digital cinema cameras used by their counterparts in Bollywood and Hollywood following international standards in film and TV productions.

The improvement in the quality of the content has attracted the leading International acquisition and distribution companies, major studios and OTT video streaming services from America and Europe. Netflix, Disney and Amazon are now demanding for the best content in Nollywood and well produced movies have been acquired. 


There have been international productions of Nigerian movies featuring top Hollywood actors such as "The Amazing Grace" of 2006 directed by Jeta Amata, written by Jeta Amata and Nick Moran and produced by Jeta Amata and Alicia Arce with top roles by Joke Silva, Nick Moran and Scott Cleverdon; "Black November" directed by Jeta Amata in 2012, starring Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Fred Amata, Sarah Wayne Callies, Nse Ikpe Etim, OC Ukeje, Vivica Fox, Anne Heche, Persia White, Akon, Wyclef Jean and Mbong Amata; "30 Days in Atlanta" directed by Robert O' Peters and produced by AY Makun in 2014 starring Starring AY Makun, Ramsey Nouah, Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD), Desmond Elliot, Vivica A. Fox, Lynn Whitfield, Karlie Redd, Majid Michel, Omoni Oboli, Racheal Oniga, Yemi Blaq and Juliet Ibrahim; "A Trip To Jamaica" directed by Robert O' Peters and produced by AY Makun in 2016 starring AY Makun,Funke Akindele, Nse Ikpe Etim, Dan Davies, Eric Roberts and others; "Esohe" directed by Charles Uwagbai and Robert O' Peters in 2018 starring Jimmy Jean Louis, Misty Lockheart, Desmond Elliot, Chris Attoh, Bimbo Manuel, Ufuoma McDermott, Toyin Aimakhu, Jemima Osunde and Monica Omorodion Swaida; "A Soldier's Story 2" of 2020 directed by Frankie Ogar and produced by Martin Gbados, starring  Eric Roberts, John J Vogel Jr, Alex Usifo, Akin Lewis, Segun Arinze, Linda Ejiofor, Somkele Idhalama, Michelle Dede, Daniel K. Daniel, Tope Tedela, Baaj Adebule, Samabasa Nzeribe and others; "Christmas in Miami" of 2021 directed by Robert O'Peters and produced by AY Makun starring Ayo Makun, Osita Iheme, Richard Mofe-Damijo, IK Ogbonna, Kent Morita, Raquel Lamanna, Manoj Chandra, Malcolm Burtchett, Nadya Marie, Tanya Price, Barry Piacente and Catherine Olsen and Adah Obekpa's "The American King" of 2021 starring Enyinna Nwigwe, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Andrew Howard and Nick Moran who has been playing prominent roles in the international productions of Nollywood movies since the 2000s to date. 
"The American King" directed and produced by Dr. Adah Obekpa, a Nigerian medical doctor in America. The romantic comedy featured famous African American singer, Akon with top Hollywood and Nollywood stars.

It is importan we document the new developments in Nollywood since 2002 to date for film history and film studies. That is why I working on a documentary film on "Nollywood Rising: The New Generation".

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,
The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry published since 2013.
https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima
Special hardcover editions are available for purchase from Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.

 

#Peace #Peaceanyiamosigwe #Nollywood #Nigeria #Africa #movies #cinema #TV #series #filmmaking #filmmaker #legacy #film #building 
































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Thursday, March 23, 2023

Bloody Bloody Hollywood

The Glamorization of Gun Violence by Hollywood  

Hollywood glamorizes gun violence in many action movies.  These extremely violent movies like "SUICIDE SQUAD" and "John Wick" have senseless scenarios of gun violence without intelligence.


Many people have spoken and written on the addiction and obsession of Hollywood to the production of violent movies showing many idiotic and unrealistic scenarios of gun violence.

According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), gun violence is a leading cause of premature death in the U.S. Guns kill more than 38,000 people and cause nearly 85,000 injuries each year. 

https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/gun-violence

Gun violence in the United States results in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries annually and was the leading cause of death for children 19 and younger in 2020. 

Regardless of the pros and cons debates and speeches on the Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution that protects the right to keep and bear arms, anyone who has conscience and intelligence will know that the most critical cause of human crisis is lack of rational analysis of every condition or situation in life. 

Recommended:

The Gun Industry's Lucrative Relationship With Hollywood

https://features.hollywoodreporter.com/the-gun-industrys-lucrative-relationship-with-hollywood/

The weapons effect is a controversial theory described and debated in the scientific field of social psychology. It refers to the mere presence of a weapon or a picture of a weapon leading to more aggressive behavior in humans, particularly if these humans are already aroused. Wikipedia

Filmmakers and executive producers and the entire film industry ought to have the conscience and intelligence to know the self-destructive actions and consequences of the promotion of gun violence in movies. And we must stop the production of such harmful movies.

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series.



Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Full List of Winners at the 95th Academy Awards



Full List of Winners at the 95th Academy Awards 


Michelle Yeoh Becomes First Asian Actress to Win an Oscar.



The 95th Academy Awards held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. It honored films released in 2022.


Animated Feature

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – WINNER!
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The Sea Beast
Turning Red

Best Supporting Actor

Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway
Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans
Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once – WINNER!

Best Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Hong Chau, The Whale
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once – WINNER!
Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Documentary Feature

All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Fire of Love
A House Made of Splinters
Navalny – WINNER!

Live-Action Short

An Irish Goodbye – WINNER!

Ivalu
Le Pupille
Night Ride
The Red Suitcase

Best Cinematography

All Quiet on the Western Front – WINNER!
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Elvis
Empire of Light
Tár

Makeup and Hairstyling

All Quiet on the Western Front
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
The Whale – WINNER!

Costume Design

Babylon
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – WINNER!
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris

Best International Film

All Quiet on the Western Front – WINNER!

Argentina, 1985
Close
EO
The Quiet Girl

Best Documentary Short

The Elephant Whisperers – WINNER!

Haulout
How Do You Measure a Year?
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Stranger at the Gate

Best Animated Short

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – WINNER!

The Flying Sailor
Ice Merchants
My Year of Dicks
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It

Best Production Design

All Quiet on the Western Front – WINNER!

Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
Elvis
The Fabelmans

Best Original Score

All Quiet on the Western Front – WINNER!

Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans

Best Visual Effects

All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water – WINNER!
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Original Screenplay

The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All at Once – WINNER!
The Fabelmans
Tár
Triangle of Sadness

Best Adapted Screenplay

All Quiet on the Western Front
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Living
Top Gun: Maverick
Women Talking – WINNER!

Best Sound Editing

All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Elvis
Top Gun: Maverick – WINNER!

Best Original Song

Applause, Tell It Like a Woman
Hold My Hand, Top Gun: Maverick
Lift Me Up, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Naatu Naatu, RRR – WINNER!
This Is a Life, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Editing

The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once – WINNER!
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Director

Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once – WINNER!
Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Todd Field, Tár
Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

Best Lead Actor

Austin Butler, Elvis
Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser, The Whale- WINNER!
Paul Mescal, Aftersun
Bill Nighy, Living

Best Lead Actress

Cate Blanchett, Tár
Ana de Armas, Blonde
Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie
Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once – WINNER!

Best Picture

All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once- WINNER!
The Fabelmans
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick
Triangle of Sadness
Women Talking

More details on 
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2023