Nollywood Blues and Multinational Corruption in Nigeria
There is more opportunism than professionalism in Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.
The Road To Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in Onike in Lagos
I have ignored posting on the nominees for the 97th Academy Awards, because I was disappointed that Mati Diop's critically acclaimed multiple award winning documentary film, "Dahomey" was not included among the nominees after it was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Feature category and the Best International Feature Film category.
This is the second time that her award winning film has not made the nominees after winning a highly coveted award at one of the Big Five international film festivals in the world.
She won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival for her feature film debut, "Atlantics" and was the entry of Senegal for the Best International Feature Film category of the 2019 Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. And her second feature film, "Dahomey" that won the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival and the entry of Senegal for the Best International Feature Film category was not nominated.
The most likely predicted winner is of course, Jacques Audiard's controversial musical romantic crime drama, "Emilia Pérez" with the record of 13 nominations, the highest number for the 97th Academy Awards to be held on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. But I doubt if the film can win up to five Oscars.
I don't know how the nominees are chosen, because the judges and specific criteria are not known to the public, except the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) whose membership of the academy is based more on being recommended than on the merit of professional criteria. So, membership can be influenced by the familiarity with influential members of AMPAS.
The content and context of "Dahomey" as an anticolonial historical film on repatriation have a more universal theme than a romantic crime thriller of sexual orientation and personal insecurities and sentiments.
It will be better and more meritorious if the winners of the highly esteemed critically juried Palme 'Or and Grand Prix of the Cannes Film Festival; Golden Bear of the Berlin International Film Festival or Berlinale; Golden Lion of Venice Film Festival; People's Choice Award and the FIPRESCI Prize, or International Film Critics Awardt at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic, Directing Award Dramatic, Grand Jury Prize Documentary and Directing Award Documentary at Sundance Film Festival qualify for the nominations for the annual Academy Awards.
I agree with the following statement by Tim Dirks, editor of AMC's Filmsite, has written of the Academy Awards:
Unfortunately, the critical worth, artistic vision, cultural influence and innovative qualities of many films are not given the same voting weight. Especially since the 1980s, moneymaking "formula-made" blockbusters with glossy production values have often been crowd-pleasing titans (and Best Picture winners), but they haven't necessarily been great films with depth or critical acclaim by any measure"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards
-;By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Founder, Publisher and Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,
The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
Multiple award winning Senegalese filmmaker, Mati Diop has made history by becoming the first filmmaker from Senegal and Africa to have a film shortlisted in two different categories for the highly coveted annual 97th Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars.
Her critically acclaimed documentary film, "Dahomey" has been shortlisted for both the Documentary Feature Category and Best International Feature Film Category, making Diop the first African filmmaker to have a film shortlisted for two Oscars.
"Dahomey" won the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival.
Oscar Shortlist 2025:
International Feature Film
I'm Still Here, Brazil
Universal Language, Canada
Waves, Czech Republic
The Girl with the Needle, Denmark
Emilia Pérez, France
The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Germany
Touch, Iceland
Kneecap, Ireland
Vermiglio, Italy
Flow, Latvia
Armand, Norway
From Ground Zero, Palestine
Dahomey, Senegal
How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies, Thailand
Santosh, United Kingdom
Documentary Feature Film
The Bibi Files
Black Box Diaries
Dahomey
Daughters
Eno
Frida
Hollywoodgate
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Queendom
The Remarkable life of Ibelin
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Sugarcane
Union
Will & Harper
Ebrohimie Road: A New Documentary Film on Wole Soyinka Before He Won the Nobel Prize for Literature
Ebrohimie Road: A Museum of Memory is a documentary film written, produced, and directed by Kola Tubosun, and shot by Tunde Kelani, about the eponymous location at the University of Ibadan where Nigerian writer/playwright and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka lived and worked between 1967 and 1972.
Prof. Wole Soyinka with the famous Nigerian filmmaker and historian, Tunde Kelani.It was from there that Soyinka was arrested in 1967 after visiting the breakaway Biafra that was engaged in a civil war with Nigeria, and it was there to which he returned in 1969 after his release, before leaving for a voluntary exile a few years later.
The film premiered in Nigeria in July 2024 as part of activities to mark Soyinka's 90th birthday, and has continued to screen in venues in the United States, United Kingdom, and elsewhere.
Read the well written review by Toni Kan on https://thelagosreview.ng/ebrohimie-road-from-soyinkas-shrine-to-fashinas-altar-toni-kan/
The title of the documentary should have been Ebrohimie Road: The Metamorphosis of Wole Soyinka.
The First Nollywood NFT
The first Nollywood NFT is a video clip of two young Nollywood actresses, Nunnsi Ojong and Celina Ideh in the "Lagos in Motion"documentary film of Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, the Publisher/Editor of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series, the first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.
The Nollywood Video Clip Streaming on the Algorand Blockchain
Today, Monday, September 18, 2023, I successfully put a video clip from my "Lagos in Motion" documentary film on the blockchain of Algorand sponsored by the Algorand Foundation.
The video shows fast rising Nollywood stars, Nunndi Ojong (all shades of beauty) and Celia Ideh, international beauty pageant Queen and model. They are part of this historical moment on the Algorand blockchain and showing the opportunities for the possibilities for Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.
https://nftmyimage.com/v1pKBV4e6LXELucuCxhxHQ
CREATED
Sep 18, 2023, 12:28 PM UTC
The NFT will live forever on the decentralized InterPlanetary File System.
Millions of people on the blockchain will will be anxious and curious to watch it.
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2023/09/nollywood-streaming-on-algorand.html
#nollywood
#nft
#movies
#documentary
#lagosinmotion
#lagos
#video
#clip
#michael
#chima
#actor
#actress
#algorand
#blockchain
When the So Called Masterclass is Not a Masterclass
Some years ago, I was invited to participate in a Masterclass on Documentary Filmmaking by the Public Affairs Section of the Consulate of the United States of America in Lagos in the Documentary Showcase Program with American documentary filmmakers. Prominent Nigerian filmmakers in Nollywood were also invited. But the workshop was rushed by the American filmmaker teaching what was nothing new or different, but documentary filmmaking for beginners and what the Nigerian filmmakers already knew. He was teaching us what students in high school were taught in America.
Then the workshop ended abruptly without the completion of the most important sessions.
The American filmmaker started the presentation of Masterclass certificates to all the participants. But I refused to accept my own certificate with my name already written on it.
"We never had any masterclass on documentary filmmaking," I said.
The others were compelling me to accept it. I reluctantly collected it. But I dumped it later in the drawer of my desk in the office of Supple Communications Limited.
Finis.
#art
#artist
#masterpice
#craft
#masterclass
#workshop
#filmmaking
#filmmakers
#Nollywood
#America
#Nigeria
#documentary
#documentaryfilm
#showcase
#unitedstates
#consulate
#Lagos
#presentation
#certificate
#office
RECOMMENDED BOOKS BY EKENYERENGOZI MICHAEI CHIMA
Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
The most popular stills in circulation from a Nigerian film or TV production are from the second phase of the principal photography of my documentary film, "Lagos in Motion" in 2016.
Today, Monday, September 18, 2023, I successfully put a video clip from my "Lagos in Motion" documentary film on the blockchain of Algorand sponsored by the Algorand Foundation.
The video shows fast rising Nollywood stars, Nunnsi Ojong (all shades of beauty) and Celina Ideh, international beauty pageant Queen and model. They are part of this historical moment on the Algorand blockchain.
https://nftmyimage.com/v1pKBV4e6LXELucuCxhxHQ
CREATED
Sep 18, 2023, 12:28 PM UTC
The NFT will live forever on the decentralized InterPlanetary File System.
Millions of people on the blockchain will will be anxious and curious to watch it.
The global blockchain technology market size was estimated at USD 10.02 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 87.7% from 2023 to 2030.
Algorand has more than 10 Million Accounts as Adoption Accelerates
New use cases from across DeFi and traditional finance are leveraging the core principles and value of Algorand's decentralized technology as they look to participate in the future of finance.Algorand Reaches 10 Million Accounts as Adoption Accelerates
New use cases from across DeFi and traditional finance are leveraging the core principles and value of Algorand's decentralized technology as they look to participate in the future of finance.Algorand was founded in 2017 by Silvio Micali, a professor at MIT.
The Algorand test network was launched to the public in April 2019, and the main network was launched in June 2019.
Algorand is intended to solve the "blockchain trilemma": the claim that any blockchain system can have at most two of three desirable properties: decentralization, scalability, and security. A system with all three could run on nodes which each have only moderate consumer-grade resources (i.e., does not need a datacenter or large cluster of virtual machines), has transaction processing which scales with the total network resources (rather than the resources available per-node), and could not be subverted by attackers who individually possess a large fraction of the network's total resources.
When it comes to looking up profitable coins, Algorand (ALGO) is a unique crypto asset that should top every list. The well-known crypto asset is self-sustaining and decentralized.
The blockchain-based network is well known for providing support to a number of applications in a safe, secure, scalable, and efficient manner. The platform is also designed to support computations that need reliable performance guarantees. This creates a form of trust betweenWhen it comes to looking up profitable coins, Algorand (ALGO) is a unique crypto asset that should top every list.
The well-known crypto asset is self-sustaining and decentralized. The blockchain-based network is well known for providing support to a number of applications in a safe, secure, scalable, and efficient manner. The platform is also designed to support computations that need reliable performance guarantees.
See more on
www.algorand.com
Big News from NOLLYWOOD
Franca, Cynthia and Celina from the revised version of the "Lagos in Motion" photo book of the documentary film to be released soon on Amazon for worldwide book and film distribution. The first time for a Nigerian documentary film with the photo book to be released simultaneously.
The documentary film and photo book by Ekenyerengozi Michael.Chima, Publisher/Editor of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series will be available online and offline.
#Lagos #Nollywood #book #travel #photobook #travelphotography #photography #filmmaking #movies #documentary #film #Ekenyerengozi #Michael #Chima
Nightfall in Lagos
Jibowu on the Lagos Mainland in Nigeria on Tuesday night of November 22, 2022.
- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, author of "Lagos in Motion: Sights and Sounds of Africa"s Largest Megacity" distributed by Amazon and producer/director of the documentary film in progress since 2016 with more than 40 hours of footage so far. Final principal photography to start before Christmas.
#Lagos
#Mainland
#Nigeria
#Jibowu
#Africa
#Megacity
#documentary
#film
#photography
#Amazon
#publish
#producer
#director
#nightfall
#November
#Tuesday
#Christmas
Lagos in Motion: The Changing Landscape of Ikoyi
Thursday afternoon on October 27, 2022.
On Alfred Rewane Road (formerly Kingsway Road) in Ikoyi on Lagos Island, Nigeria.
Microsoft office building is the new skyscraper in the background.
I have to include the changing landscape of Ikoyi in the final phase of my "Lagos in Motion" documentary film I started in 2016 with more than 40 hours footage so far. The old famous Ikoyi Hotel has been turned to a residential building beside the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel.
I passed by my Alma Mater, the famous St. Gregory's College along St. Gregory's College Road to Awolowo Road to Falomo to Glover Road and saw how Ikoyi has changed since my childhood in Obalende. I went to famous Jazz Hole on Awolowo Road and sat down to chat with my old boy, Olakunle Tejuoso, the founder to discuss arts, literature, music and politics of the coming 2023 presidential election with Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and the political momentum of his "Obidients" movement and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the national ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
Olakunle Tejuoso's family owns the famous Glendora Bookshops in Nigeria where the first copies of my book, "Bye, Bye Mugabe" sold out in 2008 before I withdrew it, because of 21 typographical errors and threw the remaining hundreds of copies away. Olakunle is the author of
"Lagos - A City At Work (The Glendora Lagos Project) and the beautiful and colourful photo book, "ABEOKUTA".
"You should do a new book on Lagos," I said.
- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Screen Naija YouTube Channel
#Lagos
#Ikoyi
#hotels
#Abeokuta
#Nigeria
#travel
#tourism
#arts
#books
#movies
#music
#jazz
#Jazzhole
#Glendora
#documentary
#photography
#politics
#history
#Tinubu
#PeterObi
#Obidients
#presidentialelection
#2023presidentialelection
#leadership
#literature
Nigerians Report Online
- Ekenyerengoz Michael Chima,
The CEO, International Digital Post Network Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.
Publisher/Editor
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series
247 Nigeria (@247nigeria) / Twitter
https://mobile.twitter.com/
https://www.amazon.com/author/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/
Michael Chima Ekenyerengozi | AngelList
https://angel.co/u/michael-
Sayōnara: Coming Soon on Amazon Prime Video Direct
Cheers!
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.
Sand and Sea is a short documentary from my "Lagos in Motion" documentary film that is still in progress started in 2016. The location is the Elegushi beach in Lekki