The Road Map for the Nominations for the Annual Academy Awards for Nigerian Filmmakers

The Road Map for the Nominations for the Annual Academy Awards for Nigerian Filmmakers

There is a Road Map for the Nominations for the annual Academy Awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and the route is common knowledge to those who truly know the criteria for filmmaking of international standards in the quality of the content and context of filmmaking and the benchmarks of the most coveted international awards and prizes for filmmaking.

Making the nominations for the almighty Oscars from the long list to the short list is beyond the mere selections of the official entries for different countries in the competition for the Best International Feature Film Category of the Academy Awards which is the most competitive, because of the challenges of competing with the best filmmakers from other countries you may not know their works.

In my own opinion, any film that has not made the Official Selections for the annual Cannes Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival should not be the official selection of Nigeria for the Best International Feature Film Category of the Academy Awards. Because in the history of the Oscars,most of the nominees and winners were in the Official Selections of the most highly esteemed and highest ranking international film festivals as I have listed them above. And only the majority of them that won the Palme d'Or of the Cannes Film Festival, Golden Lion and Silver Lion of the Venice International Film Festival, Audience Award of the Toronto International Film Festival, Golden or Silver Bear of the Berlin International Film Festival and Best Feature Film at the Sundance Film Festival made the nominees and winners of the Oscars. 

Any Nigerian filmmaker who cannot or has not competed for the best international awards in the global film industry should not be considered for the representation of the Official Selection of the entry for the Best International Feature Film Category of the Oscars.

Only the best should represent Nigeria, because only the best is good enough for us.

Nigerian filmmakers have not even won the prizes for the Best Feature Film at the annual Durban International Film Festival of South Africa, the highest ranking international film festival in Africa and only one Nigerian filmmaker, Newton Aduaka has won the Étalon d'or de Yennenga" (Golden Stallion of Yennenga) at the Ouagadougou Panafrican Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) for his critically acclaimed film, "Ezra" in 2007. 

The problem of Nigerian filmmakers is the fact that they don't like being told the truth and when you tell them the truth, they become upset and even stop communicating with you in their unprofessional and unintellectual attitudes. But the fact is majority of them don't even know that filmmaking is not for those who are intellectually challenged, because the Art of Filmmaking is beyond the mere craft of shooting a movie.

Majority of the filmmakers in Nigeria don't know what is Art Direction and many of them have not studied Production Design.

Many of them don't know what is the aspect ratio of a movie for the cinema and most of them don't know what is a shooting ratio.

They don't even know how to use lighting for storytelling; costume for storytelling; the nuances of

characterisation and music for storytelling in filmmaking.

I have advised the film schools in Nigeria to use nominees and winners of the Oscars for case studies in filmmaking to teach their students on how and why the nominees and winners got the nominations and won the Oscars.

The  Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Oscars  should know that to make the nominations for the Oscars is more than the mere selection of the official entry.

Is there a budget for the promotion of the selected film?

Promotion for reviews in the highly esteemed and rated international news media such as the New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Indiewire, Screen International, CNN, BBC and Underurrents of the  International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)

Read How Much Does It Cost To Win An Oscar? - BBC News

Just two of the most high-profile attempts to influence what must be the most select group of voters on the planet, the 6,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Estimates for the total amount Hollywood spends on Oscar campaigns range from $100m right up to $500m in a single year.23 Feb 2016

https://www.bbc.com › news › ent...

How much does it cost to win an Oscar? - BBC News

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35613630

By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

The Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,

The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

Founder/CEO,

International Digital Post Network Limited,

Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema (SOOAC),

Affiliate Partner, Cinewav of Singapore

Announcing Africa Accelerating 2023 in Toronto: October 10-12

PRESS RELEASE

Announcing Africa Accelerating 2023 in Toronto: October 10-12

Following the success of the 2022 conference, the annual highlight of the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business calendar will bring together decision-makers in one of the world’s most dynamic cities

Access Multimedia Content

TORONTO, Canada, January 10, 2023/ -- The three-day conference will address and advance the immense opportunities for rapidly accelerating Canada-Africa trade and investment ties. ‘’The 2023 conference in Toronto provides a phenomenal opportunity to welcome African business delegates to Canada’s largest city, while offering an enabling platform for networking, B2B meetings and dealmaking in and around the 3-day program,’’ said Garreth Bloor, President of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business. Last year’s 2022 Africa Accelerating conference in Johannesburg, South Africa - sponsored by Ivanhoe Mines Ltd - took place under the theme, Leading from Africa: Toward a new global era enabled through Canada-Africa Collaboration.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among those who addressed the event in October, joined by government heads, African Union leaders, corporate executives and entrepreneurs.

Registration for Africa Accelerating 2023 opens on 16 January 2023. 

The official theme to be announced will encompass raising investment capital, trade opportunities, new business partnerships, infrastructure, and responsible resource development - building on the track record and lessons learnt on the foundation of billons already invested into African markets, through Canada.

Africa Accelerating 2023 will once again include a live interactive virtual participation option. Plenary proceedings will be broadcast to 47 countries, with a reach of an estimated 20 million viewers – showcasing the immense opportunities for all through the acceleration of Canada-Africa trade and investment.

‘’Toronto is a gateway to North American markets and directly connected by air to the African continent,’’ noted Garreth Bloor. ‘’For all joining us in-person, our host city provides vital linkages to project partners and investors, driving the two-way trade and investment for deal-making that is at the core of our action-driven agenda for Africa Accelerating 2023.’’

The event will be hosted at the McKinsey & Company Toronto office located at 110 Charles Street West, Toronto, Canada. Interested participants seeking to join us in Toronto, including Chamber members, partners and prospective sponsors may email president@canadaafrica.ca

View 2023 Partnership Options (https://bit.ly/3CAS29U):

View Africa Accelerating 2022 (https://bit.ly/3fyXgKN) which welcomed a range of leading voices over three days, hundreds in-person and thousands of registered online attendees.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.

SOURCE
The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business

PRESS RELEASE
Announcing Africa Accelerating 2023 in Toronto: October 10-12
Following the success of the 2022 conference, the annual highlight of the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business calendar will bring together decision-makers in one of the world’s most dynamic cities
Access Multimedia Content
TORONTO, Canada, January 10, 2023/ -- The three-day conference will address and advance the immense opportunities for rapidly accelerating Canada-Africa trade and investment ties. ‘’The 2023 conference in Toronto provides a phenomenal opportunity to welcome African business delegates to Canada’s largest city, while offering an enabling platform for networking, B2B meetings and dealmaking in and around the 3-day program,’’ said Garreth Bloor, President of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.		Last year’s 2022 Africa Accelerating conference in Johannesburg, South Africa - sponsored by Ivanhoe Mines Ltd - took place under the theme, Leading from Africa: Toward a new global era enabled through Canada-Africa Collaboration.

Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman, Anikulapo and the Obsession for Netflix in Nollywood

Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman, Anikulapo and the Obsession for Netflix in Nollywood

Planning is everything and everything is planning in achieving our goals in our occupations and professions.

Nobody is too big, too high or too old to learn.

The films, ‘Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman" by Biyi Bandele and   "Anikulapo" by Kunle Afolayan  should have been in the Official Selections of the  Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in competition with the best new films by other filmmakers in the world. 

Both of them were produced for Netflix and the producers were fixated on seeing them in competition for the global Top 10 movies on Netflix.

The obsession of Nigerian filmmakers for Netflix deserves to be studied by psychologists.

Being on Netflix has become a status symbol for bragging rights by local filmmakers in Nollywood and their second obsession and status symbol is Amazon Prime Video SVOD.

To them being on either Netflix or Amazon Prime Video SVOD is like winning an Oscar at the annual Academy Awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Once they are on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video SVOD, they have arrived, even though they are among the lowest paid filmmakers compared to the American, European, Australian and Asian filmmakers on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video SVOD.

Hundreds of the local filmmakers can stampede over themselves to be on either of the two leading streaming platforms for even US$20, 000. Yeah, they have become so cheap that many of them are giving their new movies to MultiChoice for less than US$1, 000 per movie! In fact, they fast and pray and do night vigils of praise and worship to be accepted by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video SVOD and MultiChoice.

They are doing more harm than good to the international reputation and valuation of Nollywoood and the Nigerian film industry.

If the focus of the producers of "Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman" and "Anikulapo" has been on making the Official Selections of the biggest international film festivals and the Academy Awards, there would not have been any controversial rejection of the films by the  Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Best International Feature Film category of the 2023 annual Academy Awards. Their focus on Netflix distracted them from following the road map to the Oscars.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima.

The Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOOD MIRROR® Series,

New Nigeria on Pinterest

46th Toronto International Film Festival Official Selection and Special Presentations

Dates: Thursday, 9 Sep 2021 – Saturday, 18 Sep 2021

Location: Toronto, TIFF Bell Lightbox 

The 46th annual Toronto International Film Festival begins on September 9 to 18, 2021. And following the strict protocol for the control and prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, it will be a "hybrid" of physical and digital screenings of both the official selection and special presentations and for other programmes.

The opening film is "Dear Evan Hansen" by Stephen Chbosky, an  adaptation of the Tony-winning musical of the same title.

“This film is ultimately about healing, forgiveness, and reaffirms how connected and essential we all are to one another. We couldn’t think of a more important idea to celebrate this year as we come together once again to share the power and joy of cinema in theaters together," said Cameron Bailey, the Artistic Director and Co-Head of TIFF.

The closing film is "One Second" by Zhang Yimou.

CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA

Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Wen Shipei)

The Box (La Caja) (Lorenzo Vigas)

Costa Brava, Lebanon (Costa Brava) (Mounia Akl)

The Daughter (La Hija) (Manuel Martín Cuenca)

The Hill Where the Lionesses Roar (Luaneshat e kodrës) (Luàna Bajrami)

Întregalde (Radu Muntean)

Kicking Blood (Blaine Thurier)

La Soga 2 (Manny Perez)

Maria Chapdelaine (Sébastien Pilote)

Medusa (Anita Rocha da Silveira)

Murina (Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović)

Nobody Has to Know (Bouli Lanners)

The Odd-Job Men (Sis dies corrents) (Neus Ballús)

The Other Tom (El otro Tom) (Rodrigo Plá)

OUT OF SYNC (Tres) (Juanjo Giménez)

Terrorizers (Ho Wi Ding)

Unclenching The Fists (Kira Kovalenko)

Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas) (Edwin)

The Wheel (Steve Pink)

Whether the Weather is Fine (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon) (Carlo Francisco Manatad)

DISCOVERY

Aloners (Hong Sung-eun)

Anatolian Leopard (Anadolu Leoparı) (Emre Kayış)

A Banquet (Ruth Paxton)

Dug Dug (Ritwik Pareek)

As In Heaven (Du som er i himlen) (Tea Lindeburg)

Farha (Darin J. Sallam)

The Game (Ana Lazarevic)

Learn To Swim (Thyrone Tommy)

Lo Invisible (Javier Andrade)

Paka (River of Blood) (Nithin Lukose)

Quickening (Haya Waseem)

Scarborough (Shasha Nakhai, Rich Williamson)

Snakehead (Evan Jackson Leong)

To Kill The Beast (Agustina San Martín)

Tug of War (Vuta N’Kuvute) (Amil Shivj)i

Wildhood (Bretten Hannam)

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Ali & Ava (Clio Barnard)

 All My Puny Sorrows (Michael McGowan)

Benediction (Terence Davies)

Bergman Island (Mia Hansen-Løve)

Charlotte (Eric Warin, Tahir Rana)

Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over (Dave Wooley, David Heilbroner)

Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)

Encounter (Michael Pearce)

 The Guilty (Antoine Fuqua)

I’m Your Man (Maria Schrader)

Inexorable (Fabrice du Welz)

Lakewood (Phillip Noyce)

 The Middle Man (Bent Hamer)

Official Competition (Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat)

Paris, 13th District (Jacques Audiard)

Petite Maman (Céline Sciamma)

The Starling (Theodore Melfi)

The Story of My Wife (Ildikó Enyedi)

Three Stories (Nanni Moretti)

Violet (Justine Bateman)

The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)

GALA PRESENTATIONS

Opening Night Film: Dear Evan Hansen (Stephen Chbosky)

Closing Night Film: One Second (Zhang Yimou)

Belfast (Kenneth Branagh)

Clifford the Big Red Dog (Walt Becker)

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (Will Sharpe)

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Michael Showalter)

Jagged (Alison Klayman)

Last Night in Soho (Edgar Wright)

The Mad Women’s Ball (Mélanie Laurent)

Night Raiders (Danis Goulet)

The Survivor (Barry Levinson)

Film Financing is Not the Priority for the Nigerian Film Industry

The Nigerian film industry has no film market. Nigeria does not buy or sell films. We went to Cannes and Toronto and returned without selling or buying any film. And we lie that Nollywood employs 1 million people. Where?

Cape Town wins World’s Best Tourist Destination Award

One & Only Luxury Resort in Cape Town, where American Pop music Diva Mariah Carey performed for the great Madiba Nelson Mandela at a private luncheon when it opened in April 2009.


Cape Town has won the first prize as the world’s best destination in the 2011 Travellers Choice Destination Awards of TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest travel site*. Unlike any other awards, TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice awards are based on the experiences of millions of travellers from around the world.


Top 10 Tourist Destinations in the World

1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Sidney, Australia
3. Machu Picchu, Peru
4. Paris, France
5. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
6. New York, USA
7. Rome, Italy
8. London, UK
9. Barcelona, Spain
10. Hong Kong.



Tracy Fawcett Kitesurfing girl, Cape Town, South Africa


"Cape Town is clearly the destination to beat," commented Emma O'Boyle, TripAdvisor spokesperson. "With beautiful scenery, great wine and gorgeous weather, it's easy to see why Cape Town, which also played host to last year's World Cup, has topped this year's list."

See the complete list on TripAdvisor(R)


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

"Strigoi" to Hold World Premiere at Toronto's After Dark Festival

14 Aug 2009 13:04 Africa/Lagos

"Strigoi" to Hold World Premiere at Toronto's After Dark Festival

LONDON, August 14/PRNewswire/ --


- British-Romanian Vampire Flick To Debut At Canadian Thrill Fest


Strigoi (http://www.strigoimovie.com), a new independent vampire film set in present-day rural Romania, has announced that it will be holding its world premiere at the 4th annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival ( http://torontoafterdark.com/2009) on Monday, August 17th at the legendary Bloor Cinema.


"Strigoi", an English-language independent production, was cast and filmed entirely in Romania, the true home of vampire folklore. Remarkably, it is also the first film to be based on the original Romanian legend of "Strigoi" which inspired Dracula (which, in turn, inspired all modern vampire stories). However, the method for killing a Strigoi is a little different from the wooden stake through the heart method popularized by Bram Stoker. First, one needs to dig up the body of the person who's become Strigoi, and then their heart must be cut out and burned. Incredibly, this method of Strigoi disposal still occasionally happens in certain parts of rural Romania. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jun/19/theobserver.


The film's Director, Faye Jackson, said: "We're extremely excited to be holding our world premiere at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Our film is the sort of genre mix that will really appeal to the Toronto After Dark Audience - a folk lore mystery that blends comedy and horror, set against the background of modern rural Romania, a place where the old world clashes with the new."


Shedding light on a post-communist Romanian village, the film focuses on the ancient myth of the Strigoi - souls that rise again after death to seek justice if they've been wronged, their appetites intensified by a hunger for blood.


The film's plot centres around Vlad, who investigates a mysterious death in his grandfather's village that raises questions about land ownership in the community. The trail points to ex-communist bully Constantin Tirescu and his wife, but when Vlad confronts them, he discovers that the richest landowners in the village have become real bloodsuckers.


Adam Lopez, Festival Director of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, added: "As a premier showcase of new horror, sci-fi, action and cult movies, we're very excited to be hosting the World Premiere of Strigoi. This is just the sort of creative, independent genre film that our fans thrive on and we're sure their reaction will be enthusiastic."


The World Premiere will take place on Monday, August 17th at 9:30pm at Toronto's legendary Bloor Cinema. For more information, visit: http://www.strigoimovie.com.


Fans can also follow the build-up to the film's release on social sites Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/strigoimovie), Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/strigoimovie) and video website Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs050qAhGNg).


About St.Moritz Productions


Strigoi is the debut feature film from St. Moritz Productions. Their previous film, the short LUMP, played internationally from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. It was featured in New York magazine as one of the top 5 shorts of the 44th New York Film Festival, where it screened on the closing night, twinned with Pan's Labyrinth.


About Toronto After Dark


Toronto After Dark Film Festival is one of the world's leading showcases of thrilling cinema and runs from August 14-21, 2009. The critically acclaimed annual festival, now in its fourth year, screens new horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, animated and cult films from around the world, including many award-winning features and shorts. Last year's festival was attended by a record 8,500 enthusiastic film fans and over 100 members of press and industry. Visit: http://torontoafterdark.com/2009 or email: info@torontoafterdark.com.



Strigoi Press & Distribution Enquiries:
Rey Muraru, St.Moritz Productions
E: rey.muraru@strigoimovie.com
T: +44(0)7812352919




Source: ST. Moritz Productions Ltd

Strigoi Press & Distribution Enquiries: Rey Muraru, St.Moritz Productions, E: rey.muraru@strigoimovie.com, T: +44(0)7812352919