Winners Announced for 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival

Winners Announced For 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival

Dave Boyle's Man From Reno, Debra Granik's Stray Dog & Damian John Harper's Los Ángeles Win Jury Awards 

Kerem Sanga's The Young Kieslowski, Geeta V. Patel and Ravi V. Patel's Meet the Patels and Pernille Fischer Christensen's Someone You Love Win Audience Awards 

Best Performance, Short Film and Music Video Award Winners Also Revealed 

Sloan Fast Track Grant Awarded to Operator 

Winner of the Funny Or Die Competition Also Announced 

Tilda Swinton at the Los Angeles Film Festival Opening Night Red Carpet Premiere of 'Snowpiercer'.

LOS ANGELES, June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE announced the jury and audience award winners for the 2014 Festival at the Awards Cocktail Reception. Actor Vincent Piazza of Jersey Boys was on hand to present the awards. The Awards Cocktail Reception was sponsored by Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and Television. The Los Angeles Film Festival ran from Wednesday, June 11 to Thursday, June 19 in downtown Los Angeles.

'Snowpiercer' Director Bong Joon-ho addresses the audience before the premiere.

"This year the Los Angeles Film Festival reached a new high, thanks to the audiences who packed theaters in support of the films. We're so proud of every single film and celebrate the winners!" said Festival Director Stephanie Allain.


The juried awards of the Los Angeles Film Festival are the Narrative Award, the Documentary Award and the LA Muse Award, each carrying an unrestricted $5,000 cash prize for the winning film's director. The winners of the short film awards each receive a $1,500 cash prize. The awards were established by the Festival to encourage independent filmmakers to pursue their artistic ambitions.

"Huge thanks to our wonderful juries, whose enthusiasm and diligence was remarkable. There were so many outstanding movies in the competition this year, which made the jurors' job difficult. Congratulations to the winners—and to all the filmmakers who helped make the Festival a rousing success," said Artistic Director David Ansen.


The Narrative Award recognizes the finest narrative film in competition at the Festival and went to Dave Boyle for Man From Reno, which made its World Premiere at the Festival. The Documentary Award recognizes the finest documentary film in competition at the Festival and went to Debra Granik for Stray Dog, which made its World Premiere at the Festival. An honorable mention was also bestowed upon Eliza Kubarska's Walking Under Water, which made its US premiere at the Festival.  The inaugural LA Muse Award sponsored by Fox Audience Strategy goes to Damian John Harper for his film Los Ángeles, which had its International Premiere at the Festival.


The Los Angeles Film Festival also awarded an unrestricted $1,500 cash prize to each short film category. The recipient for the Award for Best Narrative Short Film went to The Runaway, directed by Jean-Bernard Marlin. The Award for Best Documentary Short Film went to The Queen, directed by Manuel Abramovich. The Award for Best Animated or Experimental Short Film went to Butter Lamp, directed by Hu Wei. The Shorts Program Awards are funded by HBO.
The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature went to The Young Kieslowski, directed by Kerem Sanga, and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Meet the Patels, directed by Geeta V. Patel and Ravi V. Patel. Someone You Love by Pernille Fischer Christensen won the Audience Award for Best International Feature.
The Audience Award for Best Short Film went to The Gunfighter, directed by Eric Kissack. Turn Down For What: Lil John and DJ Snake, directed by Daniels with music by Lil John and DJ Snake, won the Audience Award for Best Music Video. 


The narrative jury consists of director Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, I Am Not A Hipster), who won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature in 2013, producer Stuart Cornfeld (Zoolander, Blades of Glory, Kafka, Dodgeball, The Fly, Tropic Thunder) and film critic Ella Taylor (NPR, Variety, The Wrap, The New York Times Arts & Leisure, LA Weekly, The Village Voice). The documentary jury is comprised of editor Lynzee Klingman (Hearts and Minds, A River Runs Through It, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, War of the Roses), Spirit Award-winning director Margaret Film Independent (The Great Invisible, The Order Of Myths, Be Here To Love Me: A Film about Townes Van Zandt) and film critic and author Justin Chang (LAFCA, Variety). The LA Muse jury includes award-winning composer/singer-songwriter Kathryn Bostic (Middle of Nowhere, Make a Wish, I Will Follow, Dear White People), writer/director/producer Maryam Keshavarz (Circumstance, Dog Sweat, The Day I Died), Executive Vice President, Fox Audience Strategy Nicole Bernard and director Kevin Bray (Walking Tall, All About the Benjamins, Linewatch). The shorts jury consists of screenwriter/actor/director Todd Berger (It's a Disaster, The Scenesters), Film Independent Spirit Award winning writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez (C.O.G., Easier with Practice) and casting director Julia Kim (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Get Shorty, Bedazzled, But I'm a Cheerleader), who won the Film Independent Spirit Awards Robert Altman Award for Casting Director and Best Ensemble Cast for the film Starlet in 2013.


Also announced earlier at the festival were the Fast Track grants winners which Film Independent selects and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation sponsors.  The Fast Track program is an intensive, three-day film-financing market that connects participants with established financiers, production companies, agents, managers and other film industry professionals who can move their current projects forward.  Filmmakers Logan Kibens and Felipe Dieppa's Operator won the Sloan Fast Track Grant, a $15,000 production grant. In addition to participation in Fast Track, as part of the Sloan Foundation grant, the filmmakers will also receive year-round support from Film Independent.


This year marked a special collaboration with Funny Or Die for the Make 'em LAFF internet talent competition to discover content creators of color and underrepresented voices who specialize in comedy. The winner was selected by a jury comprised of Funny Or Die founder Chris Henchy, writer/producer/director Issa Rae (Awkward Black Girl) and comedians Hannibal Buress and Kumail Nanjiani. The winner is Suzi Yoonessi's Olive and Mocha: Fast Times at Sugar High. Yoonessi will have her next video produced by Funny Or Die and receive a talent hold deal with a cash prize presented by Fox Audience Strategy. Under the deal, she will be presented across the Fox entertainment businesses.
Now in its 20^th year, the Los Angeles Film Festival showcases diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision in new American and international cinema and is produced by Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards and Film Independent at LACMA Film Series. The 2014 Festival screened nearly 200 feature films, shorts and music videos, representing 40 countries, along with signature programs such as the Filmmaker Retreat, Music in Film at The GRAMMY Museum®, Master Classes supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and launching at this year's festival is a special section called LA Muse focused on the city of Los Angeles as an inspiration for filmmakers and artists.


The Los Angeles Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday, June 11 with the North American premiere of Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer and will close tonight with Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys. Gala Screenings included Love is Strange, The Two Faces of January and Dear White People.  The 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival Guest Director was Lisa Cholodenko; she was also the recipient of the inaugural Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award. This year's Spirit of Independence Award was bestowed upon Sony Pictures Classics' Tom Bernard and Michael Barker.

The Los Angeles Film Festival is a qualifying festival in all categories for the Film Independent Spirit Awards and for the Narrative and Animated Short Film categories at the Academy Awards.


Awards were given out in the following categories:

Narrative Award (for Best Narrative Feature)
Winner:	Man From Reno, directed by Dave Boyle
Producer:	Ko Mori
Cast:	Ayako Fujitani, Pepe Serna, Kazuki Kitamura

Film Description: A stranger in the increasingly strange city of San Francisco, Japanese crime novelist Aki is unsure of precisely what role she has to play in a real-life murder mystery involving ambiguous MacGuffins and amorphous identities. Unfolding in lonely places such as bookshops and hotel bars, Dave Boyle's moody thriller uncovers exhilarating new takes on genre conventions. Consequently, it's an alluring homme fatal who supplies Aki with the breadcrumb trail of clues that entices her into a labyrinthine plot of sinister dealings. In turn, the aging sheriff (veteran character actor Pepe Serna, fantastic in a rare leading role), who should rightfully be riding to her rescue, proves to be equally out of his depth. The game is afoot, the chase is exhilarating and the stakes are perilously high in this inspired neo-noir.


The Narrative Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $5,000. The award recognizes the finest narrative film in competition and is given to the director. A special jury selects the winner, and all narrative feature-length films screening in the Narrative Competition section were eligible.
In bestowing Dave Boyle with the Narrative Award, the Jury stated:
"Man From Reno tells a complicated story in a straightforward confident manner. Its exploration of barriers of age, language and success set against a noir plot line infuses a pop energy into the well observed portrayal of its unique characters."

Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature)
Winner:	Stray Dog, directed by Debra Granik
Producer:	Anne Rosellini
Featuring:	Ron 'Stray Dog' Hall, Alicia Soriano Hall, Felipe Angel Padilla Soriano, Felipe de Jesús Padilla Soriano

Film Description:  Winter's Bone director Debra Granik's searching, stereotype-shattering documentary focuses on Ron "Stray Dog" Hall. At first glance, this burly, bearded biker looks like one badass dude. Then, through Granik's incisive, sympathetic eye, we begin to see his big, battle-scarred heart. The movie follows Stray Dog as he caravans on his Harley from his rural Missouri home to Washington, D.C. with his fellow vets to pay tribute to his fallen brothers at the Vietnam Memorial. Back home, he takes in his Mexican wife and her two sons, who are, like him, struggling to find a place in a country that has become foreign. Stray Dog is at once a powerful look at the veteran experience, a surprising love story and a fresh exploration of what it takes to survive in the hardscrabble heartland of America.


The Documentary Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $5,000. The award recognizes the finest documentary film in competition, and is given to the director. A special jury selects the winner, and all documentary feature-length films screening in the Documentary Competition section were eligible. The Documentary Competition is sponsored by Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and Television.
In bestowing Debra Granik with the Documentary Award, the Jury stated:
"The Documentary Award goes to a beautifully crafted observational portrait that addresses, with love, empathy and humor, some of the issues we struggle with as a country today, such as PTSD, immigration and poverty. Never lecturing, but instead revealing an intimate glimpse of a man's family and his compassionate, troubled heart, the winner of the documentary grand jury prize is Debra Granik's Stray Dog."

Documentary Award
Honorable Mention:	Walking Under Water, directed by Eliza Kubarska
Producer:	Monika Braid

Film Description:  In the crystal clear waters off the coast of Borneo, a unique way of life threatens to disappear forever. For generations, the Badjao were oceanic nomads, living in harmony with the sea as fishermen and free divers. Nowadays, however, only a few Badjao remain, like Alexan, who still remembers the old ways. He hopes to pass his knowledge along to his ten-year-old nephew Sari, but time and opportunities are running out. Sari loves the sea, but it can only offer a hard life of subsistence fishing, while the nearby tourist resort sings a siren song of easy money.  Through the sensitive direction of Eliza Kubarska and remarkable underwater cinematography, Walking Under Water provides a haunting portrait of timeless traditions struggling to survive in the modern world.

In bestowing Eliza Kubarska with the Honorable Mention, the Jury stated:
"For its deeply moving account of human struggle in the natural and spirit worlds, told with both harrowing immediacy and stunning visual poetry, an honorable mention goes to Eliza Kubarska's Walking Under Water."

LA Muse Award
Winner:	Los Ángeles by Damian John Harper
Producers:	Jonas Weydemann, Jakob D. Weydemann
Cast:	Mateo Bautísta Matías, Marcos Rodriguez Ruíz, Lidia García, Daniel Bautista, Donaciano Bautista Matías

Film Description:  The perilous ambitions for a better life weigh heavy on the youth of a Zapotec community in rural Oaxaca. Young Mateo plans to raise money for the coyote who will smuggle him across the border and ingratiates himself with the local gang, seeking protection on the other side. Yet when his conscience catches up with him, not even the fearless mothers of their agrarian village can protect him. Forced to gather his courage and embark on a suicidal journey, Mateo's goal becomes less a physical destination and more a dangerous rite of passage. Damian John Harper's directorial debut subverts the conventions of the gang genre and transcends the ethnographic approach by knitting together the multiple perspectives of his diverse characters, who are magnetically played by non-actors.

The LA Muse Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $5,000. A special jury selects the winner, and all LA Muse films were eligible.

In bestowing Damian John Harper with the LA Muse Award, the Jury stated:
"Our Jury Award goes to Los Ángeles, directed by John Damian Harper, for its cinematic, acute ethnographic observations, featuring an amazing cast of indigenous actors, whose performances strengthen the mesmerizing story of a community held hostage by the American dream."

Best Performance in the Narrative Competition
Winner:	The Ensemble Cast of Recommended by Enrique, directed by  Rania Attieh and Daniel García
Producers:	Rania Attieh, Daniel García, Ivan Eibuszyc, Mahalia Cohen, Alice Kharoubi
Cast:	Lino Vareia, Sarah Swinwood

Film Description:  An aspiring Hollywood actress working on her first feature--a no-budget horror flick oddly crewed by enthusiastic teenagers--and a cowboy on a mysterious job arrive in the small border town of Del Rio, Texas, each with their own very clear agenda. When the starlet's film director and the cowboy's associate both fail to appear, however, there's nothing to do but wait and see. Dusty Del Rio quickly becomes a strange way station where time seems to stand still and things are not what they seem. Basing their film on an amusing, bizarre true story they delight in elaborating on, filmmakers Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia and their brilliant cast of newcomers weave a mesmerizing, witty fable that blurs the borders between dreams and reality.
In bestowing the ensemble cast of Recommended by Enrique with the Best Performance Award, the jury stated:
"We recognize the freshness and wacked-out spontaneity of the ensemble cast of Recommended by Enrique."

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
Winner:	The Young Kieslowski, directed by Kerem Sanga
Producers:	Seth Caplan, Danny Leiner, Dave Hunter, Ross Putman
Cast:	Ryan Malgarini, Haley Lu Richardson, Joshua Malina, Melora Walters, James Le Gros, Osric Chau, Jessica Lu, John Redlinger

Film Description:  Grand romantic gestures need not apply in this comedic tale of star-crossed young love. Instead, freshman Brian Kieslowski displays endless reserves of bumbling awkwardness as he goes home with a girl for the first time... and then learns that he got her pregnant... with twins... all while she's going through a rather inconvenient Christianity phase. Could it be that being the good guy and doing what's right are two very different things? With writer/director Kerem Sanga presenting a seriocomic gauntlet for them to negotiate, Ryan Malgarini and Haley Lu Richardson deliver delightfully nimble performances, hitting all the right off-notes as two kids in just over their heads, whose luck seems as bad as their instincts. The fates may have conspired to prematurely drag them into adulthood, but they intend on going kicking and screaming.
This award is given to the narrative feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Select narrative feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Galas, Narrative Competition, International Showcase, Summer Showcase, LA Muse, Community Screenings and The Beyond.

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
Winner:	Meet the Patels, directed by Geeta V. Patel and Ravi V. Patel
Producers:	Janet Eckholm, Geeta V. Patel
Featuring:	Ravi V. Patel, Vasant K. Patel, Champa V. Patel

Film Description:  Largely inexperienced in the art of courtship, L.A.-based actor Ravi Patel is suddenly thrown into the deep end of the dating pool when he reluctantly consents to letting his parents find him an ideal Indian bride. As he embarks on a multi-date tour across North America, however, the self-effacing suitor can't help but wonder whether his quest represents a laudable acceptance of cherished traditions or a pathetic surrender to his own deep-seated insecurities. Co-directed by Ravi and his sister Geeta, this sharp, funny documentary is fueled by the comic banter and confessional asides that can transpire only between siblings. Meanwhile, their doting parents are the sort of larger-than-life characters that most Hollywood screenwriters can only dream of creating. If only all family videos were this enthralling and packed with plot twists.

This award is given to the documentary feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Select documentary feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary
Feature: Documentary Competition, International Showcase, Summer Showcase, LA Muse and Community Screenings.

Audience Award for Best International Feature
Winner:	Someone You Love, directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen
Country:	Denmark
Producers:	Vinca Wiedemann, Sisse Graum Jørgensen
Cast:	Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Sofus Rønnov, Eve Best

Film Description:  After many years living in L.A., a world-famous, hard-living Danish singer-songwriter (think a Nordic Leonard Cohen) returns to his homeland to record a new album. Solitary, self-absorbed and nursing his hard-won sobriety, he holes up in a luxurious country home and buries himself in his music, his only passion in life. His solitude is rudely interrupted by the arrival of his troubled, coke-snorting daughter, who deposits her 11-year-old son in his lap. Mikael Persbrandt is extraordinary as the gravel-voiced egotist forced to rediscover his deeply buried humanity in award-winning Danish director Pernille Fischer Christensen's moving, immaculately crafted family drama.
This award is given to the international feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Select international feature-length films, both narrative and documentary, screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best International Feature: Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, International Showcase, Summer Showcase and The Beyond.

Award for Best Narrative Short Film
Winner:	The Runaway, directed by Jean-Bernard Marlin. France.
Producer:	Valentine de Bligniéres
Cast:	Adel Bencherif, Médina Yalaoui

Description:  A youth worker tries desperately to save an unstable teenage girl charged with multiple crimes.
In bestowing Jean-Bernard Marlin the Best Narrative Short Film Award, the Jury stated:
"We were moved by this depiction of a troubled teenage delinquent through the eyes of her youth councilor. It gave us unique insight into this world from a different POV. Excellent direction and performances!"

Award for Best Documentary Short Film
Winner:	The Queen, directed by Manuel Abramovich. Argentina.
Producer:	Daniela Raschcovsky

Description:  A young beauty queen endures the pain of getting a massive headdress attached to her head.
In bestowing Manuel Abramovich with the Award for Best Documentary Short Film Award, the Jury stated:
"We found its use of unwavering perspective particularly unique and incredibly effective. It's a documentary with an opinion that avoids didacticism entirely and offers an often unseen glimpse into the behind the scenes culture of the Carnival."

Award for Best Animated/Experimental Short Film
Winner:	Butter Lamp, directed by Hu Wei. China/France
Producer:	Julien Féret
Cast:	Genden Punstock

Description:  Cultures clash as traditional Tibetan families pose in front of backdrops of far away locales.
In bestowing Hu Wei with the Award for Best Animated or Experimental Short Film Award, the Jury stated:
"Blurring the line between fiction and reality and telling a insightful, moving story in an unconventional way is what really set this film apart. With a camera that never moves, no named characters, and no discernible plot, the film manages to take a simple, experimental idea and in only a few minutes make a powerful statement about family, tradition, and impending technological changes encroaching on a small community."

Audience Award for Best Short Film
Winner:	The Gunfighter, directed by Eric Kissack
Producer:	Sarah Platt
Cast:	Nick Offerman, Shawn Parsons, Scottt Beehner, Eileen O'Connell, Jordan Black

Film Description:  Characters in a Western discover each others' secrets from an evil off-screen narrator.
Awarded to the short film audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Short films screening in the Shorts Programs or before Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, International Showcase, LA Muse or The Beyond feature-length screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

Audience Award for Best Music Video
Winner:	Turn Down For What: Lil Jon and DJ Snake directed by Daniels
Music:	Lil Jon & DJ Snake

This award is given to the music video audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system.

To download images and clips from the winning films, please visit www.filmindependent.org and click on Press, then Press Materials.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVALNow in its 20th year, the Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by Film Independent, showcases diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision in new American and international cinema, and provides the movie-loving public with one-of-a-kind events featuring critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world. The Festival's signature programs include the Filmmaker Retreat, Music in Film at The GRAMMY Museum®, Celebrating Women Filmmakers, Master Classes, Spirit of Independence Award, LA Muse and more. Nearly 200 features, shorts, and music videos, representing 40 countries, make up the main body of the Festival. The Festival also screens short films created by high school students and a special section devoted to music videos. The Festival hosts juried cash awards for best narrative and documentary features, best narrative, documentary and animated short film, and a jury award for best performance in the narrative competition. Audience awards are presented to best documentary, narrative and international feature, short film and music video. The Los Angeles Film Festival is presented in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times. The Official Host Venue is Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14. Subaru is the Official Automotive Sponsor. Relativity is a Principal Sponsor. Platinum Sponsors include HBO, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Stella Artois, Dolby Laboratories, Inc., Canon U.S.A., Inc. and EFILM. The University Sponsor is Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and Television. Renwood Winery is the Official Wine Provider. Tanqueray is the Official Gin Provider. The Los Angeles Athletic Club is the Official Host Hotel. WireImage is the Official Photography Agency and PR Newswire is the Official Breaking News Service of Film Independent. More information can be found at lafilmfest.com.


ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENTFilm Independent is a non-profit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent's Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff and constituents, is comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry professional or a film lover. Film Independent produces the Spirit Awards, the annual celebration honoring artist-driven films and recognizing the finest achievements of American independent filmmakers. Film Independent also produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, showcasing the best of American and international cinema and the Film Independent at LACMA Film Series, a year-round, weekly program that offers unique cinematic experiences for the Los Angeles creative community and the general public. With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent's Artist Development program offers free Labs for selected writers, directors, producers and documentary filmmakers and presents year-round networking opportunities. Project Involve is Film Independent's signature program dedicated to fostering the careers of talented filmmakers from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film industry. For more information or to become a member, visit filmindependent.org.


ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES TIMESThe Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 1.5 million and 2.6 million on Sunday, more than 22 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 132 years. The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) businesses and affiliates also include The Envelope, Times Community News, and Hoy Los Angeles, which, combined with the flagship Los Angeles Times, reach approximately 5.2 million or 38% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns California Community News, LLC, operates Tribune Direct LA, and is part of Tribune Company, one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information is available at latimes.com/aboutus.


ABOUT L.A. LIVEL.A. LIVE is a 4 million square foot / $3 billion downtown Los Angeles sports and entertainment district adjacent to STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center featuring Club Nokia, a 2,300 capacity live music venue, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, a 7,100-seat live theatre, a 54-story, 1001-room convention "headquarters" destination (featuring The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles and JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE hotels and 224 luxury condominiums – The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE – all in a single tower), The GRAMMY Museum®, the 14-screen Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 theatre, broadcast facilities for ESPN along with entertainment, residential, restaurant and office space. Developed by Los Angeles-based AEG, L.A. LIVE, considered to be the nation's most active 'live content and event campus,' also features 260,480 sf of conference center and ballroom facilities, a 100,000 sf special events deck, the famous Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge, the celebrity owned Conga Room, a one-of-a-kind GRAMMY Museum^®, saluting the history of music and the genre's best known awards show all centered around Nokia Plaza L.A. LIVE, a 40,000 sf outdoor event space. L.A. LIVE showcases more events, award shows, sporting competitions, concerts and hospitality options than any other destination in the world. Visit L.A. LIVE today at http://www.lalive.com.

SOURCE Film Independent
CONTACT: Alia Quart Khan, Film Independent, Tel: 310.432.1287 or aqkhan@filmindependent.org; Gina Lang, Ginsberg/Libby, Tel: 323.645.6800 or gina.lang@ginsberglibby.com

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IFC Makes $9.5 Million Investment in Jabi Lake Shopping Mall in Nigeria

WASHINGTON, 19 June 2014 / PRNewswire Africa / - Lagos, Nigeria, June 19, 2014 – IFC, a member of the World Bank Group today announced a $9.5 million investment in Jabi Lake Mall to support demand for modern business infrastructure and retail space in Abuja,Nigeria. The project will help create about 350 construction jobs and 900 long-term, retail-sector jobs.


The $120 million Jabi Lake Shopping Mall is being built on five hectares of land on the Jabi Lake waterfront at Jabi, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.


Once complete, it will be Nigeria's largest shopping mall with over 30,000 square meters of shopping space. The project's primary sponsor is the Actis Africa Real Estate Fund 2. Duval Properties is the joint venture partner alongside Actis.


Ms. Amanda Jean Baptiste, Director, Actis Africa Real Estate Fund 2, said,“Investing in the Jabi Lake Mall demonstrates Actis's commitment to developing world-class retail destinations and adding to the domestic infrastructure in Nigeria, as well as our support for the growing demands of a rapidly changing economy. Our partnership with IFC will help us draw on their expertise in international best practice in the environmental and social aspects of the project that affect property development.”


Solomon Adegbie-Quaynor, IFC Country Manager for Nigeria, said, “Our investment is part of IFC's strategy to help strengthen business infrastructure, contribute to economic growth, and increase job opportunities in Nigeria. Actis is a strong partner in this regard, that can also transfer best modern retail practices” Jabi Lake Mall will be the largest retail development of international standard in Abuja and create links to the local economy throughout its construction and operation. It will create new sales channels for Nigerian retailers, including local small and medium enterprises. Its construction will provide business opportunities for local suppliers of food,construction materials and services, and will serve as a catalyst for urban development in the area around the mall.


Construction began on the project in late 2013 and is expected to be completed in 2015.
SOURCE International Finance Corporation (IFC)

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Nearly 60% Of People Worldwide Incorrectly Believe That Alzheimer's Disease Is A Typical Part Of Aging

 Photo Credit: CARING NEWS.   

The survey in Nigeria (n=500) was conducted face-to-face in respondents' households by cluster sampling urban populations and randomly selecting households and individuals within households.  The survey questions were fielded on an omnibus survey. The resulting interviews comprise a probability-based, representative sample of the urban population of Nigeria. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus approximately 4.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence interval. 


CHICAGO, June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Alzheimer's is a fatal, progressive disease impacting at least 44 million people worldwide yet it is widely misunderstood. According to an Alzheimer's Association® 12-country survey, 59 percent of people surveyed incorrectly believe that Alzheimer's disease is a typical part of aging and 40 percent of people believe that Alzheimer's is not fatal.

During the inaugural Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month this June, the Alzheimer's Association is initiating a global conversation about the Alzheimer's crisis and asking people around the world to use their brains to fight the disease. The survey, conducted in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, also found that 37 percent of people surveyed incorrectly believe that you have to have a family history to be at risk for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Association 2014 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report released in March found that nearly a quarter (24%) of Americans hold the same mistaken belief, despite advancing age being the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's. "Alzheimer's is a devastating disease that slowly robs people of their independence and eventually their lives," said Harry Johns, president and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association. "Sadly, Alzheimer's disease knows no bounds. Anyone with a brain is at risk for Alzheimer's disease, so everyone with a brain should join the fight against it."


Despite lack of understanding of the severity of Alzheimer's, it is still one of the most feared diseases. When asked what disease or condition they were most afraid of getting, a quarter of people selected Alzheimer's (23%), second only to cancer (42%). When asked what disease or condition they were most afraid of a loved one getting, a third of people in Japan (34%), Canada (32%) and the UK (33%) selected Alzheimer's. When considering health priorities, 96 percent of people surveyed said that being self-sufficient and not depending on others -- an inevitability as Alzheimer's disease progresses -- is important. Being able to pay for long-term care (88%) and caring for elderly parents at home (86%) were also important. These feelings are nearly universal with 98 percent of Americans saying that being self-sufficient and not depending on others is important (98%), as is the ability to care for elderly parents at home (91%) and being able to pay for long-term care (89%), according to the Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures report.  Government Responsibility Unless something is done to change its course, worldwide prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias will soar to 76 million by 2030 and threaten economies around the globe. A large majority of people surveyed -- 71 percent -- say that the government is responsible for helping find a cure or way to prevent Alzheimer's. "Despite an obvious and large knowledge gap, people around the world still recognize the threat the Alzheimer's crisis presents and hold their government accountable for finding a cure and prevention," said Johns. "In the U.S. and among the G7, federal governments have committed to preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's disease by 2025. We must hold our leaders responsible for investing in the research needed to realize that goal." Country and Age Breakdown The mistaken belief that Alzheimer's is a typical part of aging was highest in India (84%), Saudi Arabia (81%) and China (80%). The UK and Mexico had the highest recognition that Alzheimer's is not a typical part of aging (62%), but 37 percent and 38 percent, respectively, were still misinformed. More than half of people surveyed in Germany (56%) and Mexico (55%) and Brazil (53%) do not realize that Alzheimer's is fatal. While 40 percent were misinformed, more people ages 18-34 (60%), 35-44 (61%), and 45-44 (58%) agreed that Alzheimer's is a fatal disease than people ages 60+ (53%). Get Involved During Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month, people around the world will come together on a special day to raise awareness and funds for the fight against Alzheimer's disease.


On June 21, teams will participate in The Longest Day®, a sunrise-to-sunset event to honor the strength, passion and endurance of those living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. To start or join a team, visit alz.org/thelongestday. Other ways to join the fight against Alzheimer's disease during June include: Share the facts -- Post and tweet about Alzheimer's disease and brain risk throughout the month. If you have a brain, you are at risk for Alzheimer's disease. Be social -- Turn Facebook purple using an END ALZ graphic as your profile picture. Go purple -- Wear purple all month but especially on Saturday, June 21, the longest day of the year, to support those facing the devastation of Alzheimer's disease every day. Use your brain to learn about Alzheimer's disease -- Take the Brain Tour at alz.org (available in 15 languages).


For more information on Alzheimer's disease and the inaugural Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month, visit alz.org/abam. Survey Methodology The Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month International Survey was conducted by Abt SRBI.  A total of 6,307 adults age 18+ were surveyed in local languages May 22-June 4, 2014 in three modes:  Surveys were conducted online by sampling online panels in Australia (n=500), Brazil (n=501), Canada (n=500), Denmark (n=533), Germany (n=501), Japan (n=500), Mexico (n=502), Saudi Arabia (n=500), and the United Kingdom (n=500). Online panels were sampled in multiple replicates in proportion to the age and gender demographics of the panels, and quota ranges were used to limit skews by age and gender. For these online samples, a credibility interview of plus or minus approximately 5.1 percent is assumed for each country.  Surveys were conducted by telephone by Random-Digit-Dialing (RDD) sampling of landline and mobile phone households in China (n=500) and India (n=500) by in-country market research agencies under the direction of Abt SRBI. The survey questions were fielded on an omnibus survey in each country.


The final samples are probability-based samples but are demographically skewed. The sample in China is disproportionately urban and over-represents younger adults.  The sample in India is almost entirely urban and under represents older adults. The margin of sampling error for each country is plus or minus approximately 4.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence interval.

The survey in Nigeria (n=500) was conducted face-to-face in respondents' households by cluster sampling urban populations and randomly selecting households and individuals within households.  The survey questions were fielded on an omnibus survey. The resulting interviews comprise a probability-based, representative sample of the urban population of Nigeria. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus approximately 4.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence interval.


SOURCE Alzheimer's Association

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AfDB Approves USD 300 million Loan to Boost Fuel Supply and Fertilizer Production in Nigeria

 

TUNIS-BELVEDERE, Tunisia, 17 June 2014 / PRNewswire Africa / - The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved on 13 June 2014 a loan of USD 300 million to Dangote Industries Limited for the construction and operation of a greenfield crude oil refinery and a greenfield fertilizer manufacturing plant.

Both projects will produce for consumption in Nigeria and neighboring African countries. The project will allow Nigeria, which currently relies on imported petroleum products and fertilizer, to progressively become self-sufficient and transformed into a major exporter. Ultimately, the project will act as a catalyst to support job creation.

The oil industry in Nigeria contributes a large share to gross domestic product and accounts for the bulk of federal government revenue and foreign exchange earnings. The country is the first crude oil producer in Africa, with a production close to 2.2 million barrels per day. Paradoxically, the country is a big importer of refined petroleum products for its economy as well as fertilizer products. The Dangote Group was established in the late 1970s and started with importing sugar, milk, flour, fish, rice, cement and iron rods. The Group is now a diversified conglomerate with business interests in cement, sugar, salt, port operations, packaging material production and real estate.

The projects will add value to local natural resources, double the country's refining capacity, reduce by more than 80% current imports of fuel in the country and eliminate fertilizer imports. The projects are expected to help Nigeria on forex savings of $ 65 billion through import substitution and provide revenues for FGN (taxes and fees).

The projects will also create over 30,000 temporary jobs during construction, and 2,900 direct jobs during operations. The projects will compliment Bank's ongoing effort to support FGN for the implementation of the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA).SOURCE African Development Bank (AfDB)

Jun 18, 2014

• Posted at 14:07 WAT AfDB Approves USD 300 million Loan to Boost Fuel Supply and Fertilizer Production in Nigeria
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More Than 17.5 Million Nigerians Watched Nigeria Vs Iran World Cup Game

Report: Nigeria vs. Iran World Cup Game Draws More Than 17.5 Million Nigerian Viewers

GeoPoll Releases Unprecedented Findings on World Cup Television Audiences in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda

ABUJA, Nigeria, June 18, 2014/ -- GeoPoll (http://research.geopoll.com), the world’s largest real-time mobile survey platform, today released initial findings on TV ratings, audience size and demographics following the first games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The data, gathered via mobile surveys in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda, provides a first-ever glimpse of the fans who are tuning into the World Cup in these countries, and represents ratings from more than 300 million African citizens. A full breakdown of GeoPoll’s findings is below.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/GeoPoll-1.jpg

Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1150(James Eberhard GeoPoll Founder)

Nigeria v. Iran game watched by millions - The game between Nigeria and Iran, played during prime time in Nigeria, drew 17.5 million Nigerian adult viewers or 20% of the Nigerian adult population. More than 25 million adults from all the surveyed African nations watched the Nigeria game, making it the most watched game in these markets over the first 5 days of play.

Ghana’s World Cup viewership stays high across games - Ghana viewership has remained high across all games: 3.5 million watched the opening game between Brazil and Croatia, and the gripping match between Ghana and the United States on Monday attracted 2.4 million adult Ghanaian viewers. The U.S./Ghana game aired at 10pm Ghana time, which might explain the drop in viewership numbers in the country, compared to the earlier Monday games which saw 3.1 million Ghanaian viewers. On average across the first 5 days of games, 2.2 million Ghanaians have tuned in to every hour of play. 

Strong enthusiasm for soccer across African countries - At peak viewership, during the Nigeria/Iran game, about 15% of adults aged 15+, or 25 million total across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda, were watching the games.  Nigeria had the highest total viewership numbers, with 17.5 million. Both Nigeria and Ghana have had consistently high percentages of their adult population watching the games: an average of 14% per game for Ghana and 10% per game for Nigeria.

Youths have been particularly interested in the games: In Ghana 1.7 million people aged 15-24 tuned in to the Germany-Portugal game, or about 18% of the youth population. In Kenya almost 900,000 aged 15-24 watched the same game, and in Nigeria 3.5 million youths were watching.

Gender differences apparent across countries: In Ghana, more males watch the games: for the first 5 days of game play the gender split was an average of 28% female to 72% male. In Nigeria, the gender split for the World Cup games is less dramatic than in other countries: about 38% female to 62% male.

A Continental View

Data from an additional survey running in 11 African countries will be released later this week on GeoPoll’s blog. This survey asks Africans who they think will win the World Cup, and will show trends over the first week of play as confidence levels in teams change as they win or lose games.

Methodology:

All data is gathered from GeoPoll’s robust survey platform, which utilizes SMS, voice and web-based communications to reach respondents, even in areas without internet connection.

GeoPoll’s Audience Measurement Service uses a unique panel system to compile statistically representative television and radio ratings within twenty-four hours of programs airing.  Ratings represent viewership for the top channels in each country, as determined by GeoPoll’s extensive country research.  GeoPoll collects a minimum of 2000 responses daily per country, polling a different subset every four hours.

GeoPoll will be running surveys throughout the entire World Cup, reporting interesting findings on its blog and giving an unprecedented look at the soccer fan base in the largest African markets. These aggregated findings will show where and how people are watching the games, providing invaluable insight to advertisers, broadcasters, and those following this exciting global event.

{To receive more ratings being released, sign up for our mailing list, or follow our blog at http://blog.geopoll.com/}

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of GeoPoll.

Contact information:

Dan O’Mahony or Iz Conroy

(+1) 415-625-8555

GeoPoll@LaunchSquad.com

About GeoPoll

GeoPoll (http://research.geopoll.com)  is the world's largest real-time mobile survey platform, reaching a growing network of more than 150 million users in 20 countries worldwide on a deeply granular level and at unprecedented scale. Through partnerships with telecom providers and a multimodal platform powered by text, voice and web-based communications, GeoPoll enables companies and organizations to gather quick, accurate and in-depth insights on anything from preferences on consumer goods to election transparency and access to basic government services. GeoPoll is powered by Mobile Accord, the creators of the mGive mobile donation platform and experts in powering mobile insights across the globe.

SOURCE 

GeoPoll

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Tunde Kelani To Release New Trailer and Official Poster of "Dazzling Mirage" on June 19

One of the most accomplished filmmakers in Africa Tunde Kelani will release a new trailer and official poster of his new film "Dazzling Mirage" on June 19, 2014, for the World Sickle Cell Awareness Day.

The United Nations classified sickle cell anemia as one of the most gangrenous common genetic diseases in the world which can lead to death. It is most common in several African and Asian countries. Also, locally, statistics indicate that there is a high sickle cell anemia rate.

 
Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and Tunde Kelani.

 June 19th of every year was set to be the World Sickle Cell Awareness Day to increase awareness of this disease as being one of the most common health related problems. Moreover, it seeks to correct misconceptions about this disease, highlighting the importance of early before birth detection to know whether or not the fetus will be affected or if it is just a carrier. It should be noted that several treatment methods were discovered and its symptoms were reduced through bone marrow transplantation. 

Each year in Nigeria, 150,000 children are born with sickle cell disorder. Many die before they're five. Others live in pain with no hope of a cure. But Funmiwo will stop at nothing to have it all ...

"Dazzling Mirage" is the story of a talented, beautiful young sickle-cell sufferer who overcomes social stigma, prejudice and her own low self-esteem, to achieve career success, marriage and motherhood.

 
Kemi (Lala) Akindoju.

"Dazzling Mirage" features an all-star cast including Kemi (Lala) Akindoju, Kunle Afolayan, Yomi Fash-Lanso, Seun Akindele, Taiwo Ajai Lycett, Bimbo Manuel, Carol King, Khabirat Kafidipe, Bukola Awoyemi among others. The film is an adaptation of Olayinka Abimbola Egbokhare’s ‘Dazzling Mirage’. Kelani commissioned award-winning London-based and critically acclaimed Nigerian screenwriter Ade Solanke to bring this wonderful story to the screen.

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International Day of the African Child: Impossible Odds, Unstoppable Girls

(Nigerians Report Online celebrates the United Nations International Day of the African Child in honour of the missing Chibok school girls in northern Nigeria.) International Day of the African Child: Impossible Odds, Unstoppable Girls

Nigerian born Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, WNBA basketball star sisters and Stanford graduates determined to do something to help Nigerian girls get educated, launched a fundraising competition Wednesday, June 11, 2014, open to middle and high school basketball teams across the US. The goal is to raise money to support UNICEF programs focusing on girls' education and empowerment in Nigeria.

Nigeria has 10.5 million out-of-school children, the highest number in the world, followed by Pakistan, Jean Gough, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria has said.

Gough said about 60 per cent of those children are girls and most of them are in the northern part of the country, stressing further that almost one out of every three primary age children is out of school and roughly one out of four junior secondary age children is out of school.

The grim statistics were made known in a press statement to commemorate this year’s Day of the African Child, with the theme ‘A child friendly, quality, free and compulsory education for all children in Africa’.

According to her, insecurity threatens gains in girls’ education, noting that parents are unwilling to enrol their daughters in school, especially in the northeast.

She lamented that due to security challenges, numerous children currently have no access to school in some parts of the north, particularly the northeast.

“Schools have been closed for security reasons and where schools in the affected areas still function, children and teachers are often afraid to attend. In comparatively safe areas in the northeast, schools are often overcrowded, understaffed and have insufficient teaching materials,” she noted.

Gough stressed that because of the violence, many parents are unwilling to enrol their daughters or are withdrawing those already in school.

“We know that girls’ education is vital, because educated girls become better mothers, have fewer, healthier children. Every additional year of schooling reduces the probability of child mortality by 5-10 per cent. Educated mothers want their children to have better educational opportunities. This would mean more girls enrolling, attending and staying in school, transiting to senior secondary school and eventually playing more productive social and economic roles within their families and communities,” she further said.

According to her, the Girls’ Education Project implemented by UNICEF in northern states, with funding from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), aims to enrol an additional one million girls in school by 2020.

She stated that grassroots’ support is crucial to overcoming the security and other challenges in order to meet this ambitious goal.

“Involving local communities in initiatives to safeguard education is crucial in protecting the children,” said Gough, adding “The communities will know the primary concerns of parents, girls and boys. Together they can develop networks for support to keep schools safe.”

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Is the President of Nigeria Really A Christian?

Is the President of Nigeria really a Christian?
When his selfish ambition is powered by greed and not by the fear of God?

Going to church is not what makes you a Christian. Bowing and kneeling to pastors and prophets is not what makes you a Christian. Reading the Holy Bible from cover to cover is not what makes you a Christian. Joining in fellowship and worship in eye service and lip service to God is not what makes you a Christian. Going on pilgrimages to Jerusalem and praying on top of hills and mountains is not what makes you a Christian. What makes you a Christian? Obeying God as Jesus Christ preached and practiced is what makes you a Christian as he stated in Matthew, Chapter 7: 21-23, of the Holy Bible.

I Never Knew You

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Anyone who obeys God will not do evil. But anyone who does evil disobeys God and anyone who disobeys God is not a Christian. Anyone whose ambition is powered by greed and not by the fear of God is not a Christian. For anyone who does not have the fear of God is not a Christian.
For it is written: the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10). But even a retarded person can see that the President does not act like the King who rules his kingdom with wisdom. And he is not the only one, because majority of Nigerians think and act like their President in disobedience to God and in intellectual ignorance.

If the President of Nigeria had the fear of God and wisdom, he would not have contested the 2011 presidential election.
God took him from a nobody in his village to the government house in Bayelsa state and made him a deputy governor and from deputy governor to the state governor and from there, God lifted him higher to make him the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and then made him the President and Commander-in-Chief. What else would a man wish for? But his selfish ambition was powered by his greed and lust of the flesh. And he may deny these facts of his life on the street, but he cannot deny the truth in his closet.
The President of Nigeria is the captive and hostage of ungodly men and women from his region whose ill-gotten riches are from his corrupt cabinet.

 Why should thousands of innocent people die, because of the selfish ambition and greed for power of one man and one woman? And this one man and one woman know themselves.
The disobedience of this man and his woman to God is the cause of the widespread violence destroying thousands of innocent lives and properties worth billions of naira in Nigeria.
The President of Nigeria knows himself and this woman knows herself. Even if they think they can fool the whole world, they cannot fool God, because indeed there is God whether you believe in him or not. And God who alone gives us the breath of life knows the secret in every heart, in every cabinet and in every closet. And if they don’t repent, they shall account for the life of every innocent Nigerian lost in the bloody violence destroying Nigeria since 1999 to date.

The tragedy of it all is the fact that majority of Nigerians are pathetic followers of their greedy leaders from the evils they do in their closets indoors and outdoors on the streets to the evils they do in corridors of power. Majority of Nigerians do not have the fear of God and by what they do, you shall know them.
Their ungodly acts show their true characters.
This why Nigeria is the way Nigerians are

God will destroy the union of conceit and deceit.
God will destroy the union of corruption.
God will not allow them to continue to breed the demons they feed from their evil greed.
Evil begets evil. And the evils of Nigerian leaders are what created the demons on rampage from the Niger Delta to Lake Chad.
The notoriety of corrupt Nigerian leaders is what created the monstrosity of Boko Haram and the other demonic and lunatic cultists and terrorists attacking and destroying innocent lives in Nigeria.


 ~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, author of In the House of Dogs and other books.


 
 

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Fred Amata Appointed Acting Festival Director AIFF

Dateline: Abuja 2014

Press Release

 AWARD WINNNG ACTOR/DIRECTOR FRED AMATA APPOINTED ACTING FESTIVAL DIRECTOR OF THE ABUJA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The Board and Management of the 11^th Abuja International film festival are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Fred Amata a Nigerian-born film actor and director, media personality, and cultural icon as the ACTING FESTIVAL DIRECTOR of the ABUJA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. Fred Amata is a 1986 graduate of theatre arts from the University of Jos. He was the second director of the longest running TV soap of the eighties Ripples. An award winning actor; for his heart rendering role in the 1996 sensational movie Mortal Inheritance with Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde.  He has worked with the several TV stations amongst them NTA, Clapperboard TV, and DBN Television.

One of the most recognized screen figures in Africa, Fred Amata is a scion of the renowned Amata Film Dynasty that has produced some of the most recognized and celebrated names in African Film.

He made his debut as an actor in the Award–winning TV series, Legacy in 1986.
In a career spanning almost three decades, Fred has earned directorial, Acting and performance credits in over 150 productions spanning almost the entire genre of film, theatre, and cinema.  

He has won the coveted Nigerian Best Actor Award (Mortal Inheritance, 1997), Best Director Award (Light and Darkness, 2002), and several other awards and recognitions including:  The Afro-Hollywood Awards for Outstanding Performance, London (1999); Outstanding Performance and Contribution to the Nigeria Film Industry, Washington DC (April 2004) and Nollywood Ambassadors Award, Kenya (May 2010).

Fred Amata has consulted for the UNFPA on the use of Nollywood (Film) Content for advocacy and was inducted into the Movie Makers Hall of Fame, USA in October 2009.

When off set, Fred is an ardent football, scrabble and chess player who loves music and dancing, traveling and discovering peoples of the world and their culinary delights!

He will be receiving the baton of leadership from Mr. Fidelis Duker who founded the film festival almost 11 years ago and whose role will be advisory capacity cum founder of the film festival. It must be noted that Duker has over the last 11 years developed the Abuja international festival to an enviable height globally as the foremost and longest running independent film festival in West Africa.

According to the Head, Media Communications of the film festival, Mr. Louis Okpoto, Mr. Amata will be leading a team of creative individuals as the Acting Festival Director of the 11^th Abuja International Film Festival whose theme is 100 years of Films in Nigeria….A Retrospective. The 11^th edition of the film festival is billed for the 23^rd to 26^th of  September 2014 in Abuja

FIDELIS DUKER
festival Director/filmmaker
FAD PRODUCTIONS LTD
85 ST FINBARRS ROAD,
AKOKA - YABA
LAGOS - NIGERIA
www.fadproductionsng.com
www.abujafilmfestng.org
Tel: 08120661930

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