Anybody who can write and can study the Nigerian film industry can write on
both Nollywood and Kannywood.
Don't mistake film journalism for film criticism.
Majority of those claiming to be film critics in Nigeria are either film
journalists or commentators.
You cannot be a film critic if you don't understand filmmaking. Because how
can you do a critique of a subject you don't understand the concept, content
and context?
You don't know about Lighting for Storytelling and you are a film critic?
You don't know how soundtracks are used in storytelling and you call yourself
a film critic?
You don't know costume for storytelling and you call yourself a film critic?
What of histrionics in drama?
Should I go on?
You cannot be a good film critic if you don't know the history of filmmaking
or motion picture.
Until reading what I have written now, 99 percent of the so called film
critics in Nigeria don't know what is film noir.
In the study of fine arts, we study art history and criticism combined,
because you cannot be a good art critic if you don't know art history.
There is widespread intellectual ignorance and posturing by those who claim to
be film critics, but they don't even know that filmmaking is part of fine arts
and film criticism is part of art history and criticism.
This must be news to them.
Can they discuss Abstract Art in Art History and Criticism with Ekenyerengozi
Michael Chima?
Can they do a critique of my masterpiece, "The Metamorphosis of the HIV in the
T-Cell" collected by Family Health International (FHI) or "The Eruption of the
Love Virus" in private collection since 1993?
I don't even claim to be a film critic.
I am a film writer and historian on the history of Nollywood and the Nigerian
film industry widely published, circulated and studied by scholars and
students in different colleges and universities in Nigeria and other
countries.
Why? Because of the importance, relevance and significance in film studies,
African studies, art history and criticism.
- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, Publisher/Editor, NOLLYWOOD
MIRROR® Series, The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film
industry since 2013.
The 76th Annual Cannes Film Festival: Complete List of Winners
Official poster of the 76th Cannes Film Festival featuring actress Catherine Deneuve during a shooting of La Chamade (1968)
Opening film
Jeanne du Barry
Closing film
Elemental
The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival held from 16 to 27 May 2023.
The closing ceremony of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival took place on May 27 at 20.30 CEST (19.30 BST) at the Grand Theatre Lumiere.
Justine Triet became the third woman to win the Palme d'OR, after Jane Campion in 1993, and Julia Ducournau in 2021.
Her French courtroom drama tells the story of a writer accused of her husband's murder.
PALME D’OR
ANATOMIE D’UNE CHUTE (ANATOMY OF A FALL) directed by Justine TRIET
GRAND PRIX
THE ZONE OF INTEREST directed by Jonathan GLAZER
BEST DIRECTOR
TRAN ANH Hùng for LA PASSION DE DODIN BOUFFANT (THE POT-AU-FEU)
JURY PRIZE
KUOLLEET LEHDET (FALLEN LEAVES) directed by Aki KAURISMÄKI
BEST SCREENPLAY
SAKAMOTO Yuji for KAIBUTSU (MONSTER) directed by KORE-EDA Hirokazu
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Merve DIZDAR for KURU OTLAR USTUNE (ABOUT DRY GRASSES) directed by Nuri Bilge CEYLAN
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Koji YAKUSHO for PERFECT DAYS directed by Wim WENDERS
SHORT FILMS
2023 winners' list
PALME D’OR
27 for Flóra Anna BUDA
SPECIAL MENTION
FÁR (INTRUSION) directed by Gunnur MARTINSDÓTTIR SCHLÜTER
UN CERTAIN REGARD
2023 winners' list
UN CERTAIN REGARD PRIZE
HOW TO HAVE SEX directed by Molly MANNING WALKER
JURY PRIZE
LES MEUTES (HOUNDS) directed by Kamal LAZRAQ
BEST DIRECTOR PRIZE
Asmae EL MOUDIR for KADIB ABYAD (THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES)
NEW VOICE PRIZE
AUGURE (OMEN) directed by BALOJI
ENSEMBLE PRIZE
CROWRÃ (THE BURITI FLOWER) directed by João SALAVIZA & Renée NADER MESSORA
FREEDOM PRIZE
GOODBYE JULIA directed by Mohamed KORDOFANI
LA CINEF
2023 winners' list
FIRST PRIZE
NORWEGIAN OFFSPRING directed by Marlene Emilie LYNGSTAD
Den Danske Filmskole, Denmark
SECOND PRIZE
HOLE directed by HWANG Hyein
Korean Academy of Film Arts, South Korea
THIRD PRIZE
AYYUR (MOON) directed by Zineb WAKRIM
ÉSAV Marrakech, Morocco
CAMÉRA D'OR
2023 winners' list
BÊN TRONG VO KEN VANG (INSIDE THE YELLOW COCOON SHELL) de THIEN AN PHAM
Directors’ Fortnight
L’ŒIL D'OR - YEAR OF THE DOCUMENTARY (EX ÆQUO)
2023 winners' list
LES FILLES D’OLFA directed by Kaouther BEN HANIA
KADIB ABYAD (THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES) directed by Asmae EL MOUDIR
THE HIGHER TECHNICAL COMMISSION FOR SOUND AND IMAGES
2023 winners' list
The CST jury has awarded the CST ARTIST-TECHNICIAN AWARD 2023 to Johnnie Burn from the film THE ZONE OF INTEREST by Jonathan Glazer and the CST Young Film Technician Award to Anne-Sophie Delseries, head set designer for the film LE THÉORÈME DE MARGUERITE (MARGUERITE’S THEOREME) by Anna Novion.
Thanks to the delicacy of her work, Anne-Sophie Delseries succeeded in giving birth to a third character who is an essential part of the film’s narrative.
Producers: Michael B. Jordan, Akiva Goldsman, André Nemec, more
Screenplay: Taylor Sheridan, Will Staples
Story by: Tom Clancy
Adapted from: Without Remorse
Without Remorse (also known as Tom Clancy's Without Remorse) is a 2021 American action thriller film based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It is directed by Stefano Sollima and written by Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples, and stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Luke Mitchell, Jack Kesy, Brett Gelman, Lauren London, Colman Domingo and Guy Pearce. The plot follows John Kelly, a U.S. Navy SEAL who sets out on a path of revenge after his pregnant wife and unit members are killed by Russian hitmen.
FOR THE RECORD: FAREWELL SPEECH BY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
My fellow Nigerian brothers, sisters and friends of Nigeria.
2. I address you today, in my last assignment as a democratically elected President of our great and well-endowed nation, with a deep sense of gratitude to God, a great deal of appreciation to the Nigerian people and a modest sense of fulfilment.
3. Today we mark and celebrate another peaceful transition of power from one elected government to another in our steady march to improve and sustain Nigeria’s democracy.
4. This year we witnessed the most keenly contested Presidential Elections since the first Republic and this demonstrates that our democracy is getting better and more entrenched with each election.
5. We must as a nation improve and sustain gains we make in the electoral process, on an incremental basis for Nigeria to take its rightful place among Nations.
6. Our democracy provides for, allows and encourages seeking redress for perceived injustices, enabling some candidates and political parties that did not agree with the results to go to court.
7. Irrespective of the outcome of the various cases, I urge all parties involved to accept the decision of our courts and join hands to build a better Nigeria.
8. I salute the doggedness and resilience of all the Presidential Candidates and their political parties for believing in our judicial system by taking their grievances with the election results to court.
9. In the course of the campaigns, we had argued and disagreed on how to make Nigeria better but we never disagreed or had any doubts that Nigeria has to be better.
10. As your President, I call on all of us to bring to bear the strength of our individualism, the power of our unity, the convictions of our beliefs to make Nigeria work better and together with one spirit and one purpose.
11. To my brother, friend and fellow worker in the political terrain for the past ten years - Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu -, I congratulate you on the realisation of your dream, which was propelled by a burning passion to put Nigeria amongst the leading nations of the world.
12. You have indeed worked for this day and God has crowned your efforts. I have no doubt that your passion for excellence, reliance on competence, fairness in relationships, commitment to equity, loyalty to the country and desire for Nigeria to be globally relevant would come through for you, under God’s guidance, as you lead our country to levels higher that I am leaving.
13. You are the best candidate among all the contestants and Nigerians have chosen well.
14. The last eight years have been an exciting experience in my desire and commitment to see a Nigeria in which public goods and services are available, and accessible within a united, peaceful and secure nation.
15. Fellow Nigerians, on the strength of your overwhelming support for me and my political party, I started this journey with a great deal of promise and expectation from you. I never intended to be just politically correct but to do the correct things that will make meaningful impact on the lives of the common Nigerian.
16. This high expectation was not misplaced because, like the ordinary Nigerian, I had grown tired of watching the country progressively moving away from the path of correctness.
17. To ensure that our democracy remains resilient and our elected representatives remain accountable to the people, I am leaving behind an electoral process which guarantees that votes count, results are credible, elections are fair and transparent and the influence of money in politics reduced to the barest minimum. And Nigerians can elect leaders of their choice.
18. We are already seeing the outcome of this process as it provided an even playing field where persons without any political God-Father or access to money defeated other well-resourced candidates.
19. The Nigerian economy has become more resilient due to the various strategies put in place to ensure that our economy remained afloat during cases of global economic downturns.
20. You would all recall the supply chain disruptions and economic downturn that the world witnessed between 2020 and 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deftness of our response to the pandemic still remains a global best practice.
21. Furthermore, we increased the ability of the poor and rural Nigerians to earn a living, provided more food for millions in our villages and gave our women opportunities to earn a living.
22. Young men and women in urban centres were also supported to put their skills into productive use. Our administration also provided an enabling environment for the private sector to engage in businesses for which their return on investments is guaranteed.
23. The private sector proved a strong partner in our drive to build a resilient and sustainable economy as evidenced by the growing number of turn-key projects in various sectors of the economy.
24. In the course of revamping the economy, we made some difficult choices, most of which yielded the desired results. Some of the measures led to temporary pain and suffering for which I sincerely apologised to my fellow countrymen, but the measures were taken for the over-all good of the country.
25. Mindful of the need to ensure adequate infrastructure to drive economic growth, we completed age-long projects and processes notably amongst which are the Petroleum Industry Act, completion of some power projects, completion of the second Niger bridge and various important roads linking cities and states.
26. Our battle to ensure that all Nigerians live in a safe and secure environment has achieved considerable results. As I complete my term in office, we have been able to reduce the incidences of banditry, terrorism, armed robbery and other criminal activities considerably.
27. To sustain the gains made so far, I call on all Nigerians to be more vigilant and support the security agencies by ensuring that our values defined by being your brothers’ keeper govern our actions.
28. Up-till now, I still grieve for our children still in captivity, mourn with parents, friends and relatives of all those that lost loved ones in the days of the senseless brigandage and carnage. For all those under unlawful captivity our Security Agencies are working round the clock to secure their release unharmed.
29. Fellow Nigerians, you know how dear the desire in my heart is, to rid the country of corrupt practices that had consistently diminished our efforts to be a great country.
30. I did pursue this commitment relentlessly, in spite of the expected push back. I am happy that considerable progress had been made in repatriating huge sums of money back to the country and also taken over properties illegally acquired from our common wealth.
31. To improve service delivery, we began the implementation of a number of reforms aimed at producing an Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible and Citizen-oriented (EPIC) Federal Civil Service and the results are beginning to show.
32. On the international scene, Nigeria’s influence continues to grow as exemplified by notable Nigerians occupying headship and leadership positions in renowned global bodies.
33. Our democracy is built on and continues to thrive on the principles of separation of powers. The leadership and members of the National Assembly deserve my appreciation for their patriotism which did not detract from their roles as a check to the executive arm.
34. I also want to use this opportunity to express my appreciation to a good number of Nigerians who provided their support and encouragement to help me navigate the exciting journey in moving Nigeria forward.
35. I cannot and will not forget the millions who prayed for me during my illness in my first term of office. I am constantly praying for you and for Nigeria to thrive in peace.
36. As I retire home to Daura, Katsina State, I feel fulfilled that we have started the Nigeria Re-Birth by taking the initial critical steps and I am convinced the in-coming administration will quicken the pace of this walk to see a Nigeria that fulfils its destiny to be a great nation.
37. I am confident that I am leaving office with Nigeria better in 2023 than in 2015.
38. I thank you all. And may God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
My Testimony on the 2015 Presidential Election, published by Lulu and Amazon.
Stupidity is: instead of addressing the national emergency of medical doctors going on strike nationwide, the President, Vice President, President-Elect, Governors, opposing presidential candidates Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi among the legions of other Nigerians were celebrating and salivating over the ego trip of a young female celebrity chef breaking the Guinness Records for cooking for 100 hours and then gloating over her sexuality; when Americans were celebrating the unprecedented historic academic achievement of LMU valedictorian, Obioma Somtochi Ugorji, the young Nigerian student who emerged as the 2023 best-graduating student of Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, USA. It is good Peter Obi has congratulated him.
Every achievement deserves celebration, but it is stupid to be dancing when your house is on fire. Will a mother abandon her child having seizure in ER to go and cook for a birthday party?
There is an epidemic of stupidity in Nigeria from the street to the Office of the President. After "In the House of Dogs", the title of one of my new books should be "In the House of Stupidity".
There is widespread of cases I call Illogical, Irrational and Unreasonable Mentality (IIUM) among the majority of Nigerians, because as you can see from the abnormalities of the last general elections and banalities of the people, they have issues with being logical, rational and reasonable in their behaviours. Common sense is not common in Nigeria.
Majority of the artistes who were jumping on the bandwagon of the "Obidients" political movement of Peter Obi before the presidential election on February 23, were in Abuja on Thursday May 25 celebrating and performing at the Renewed Hope live concert for the President-Elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu after collecting millions of naira.
FAST & FABULOUS is a fictional action drama for the inspiration of girls and women to unite against human trafficking in every community in the world.
Two fabulous besties join forces to rescue innocent girls and women from notorious human traffickers from Nigeria to Libya to Saudi Arabia to Italy and back with their fast cars and fast power bikes.
The first part of the action thriller is going to be based on a true life story of the rescue of a secondary school girl among those lured by human traffickers from Benin in Edo State to Kano State in Nigeria and across the border into the Republic of Niger and through the scorchy Sahara Desert to Libya from February to April, 2016.
She was rescued and returned to Nigeria and reunited with her family in Benin.
I paid for her rehabilitation and skills acquisition in a beauty and hairdressing salon to become an hairstylist. Her name is Success. She is now a model with offers of international modelling photo sessions for magazines and shows in America and Europe.
Details from the files: Real names removed for privacy and security.
Forwarded message ----------
From: "S
Date: 5 Mar 2016 21:49
Subject: Re: Success says Sex Traffickers Crossing Tonight and Tomorrow To Europe
President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR commissioned the Dangote Refinery at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos on Monday, May 22, 2023.
It is Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world's largest simple-train refinery.
1. It is located in Ibeju, Lagos, Covering a land area of approximately 2,635 hectares.
2. World’s Largest Single-Train 650,000 barrels per day Petroleum Refinery with 900 KTPA Polypropylene Plant.
3. The Refinery is powered by a 435 MW Power Plant.
4. At full capacity, it can meet 100% of the Nigerian requirement of all refined products and also have surplus for export.
5. Designed for 100% Nigerian Crude with flexibility to process other crudes.
6. Self-sufficient marine facility with ability for freight optimisation. Largest single order of 5 SPMs anywhere in the world.
7. Diesel & gasoline from the refinery will conform to Euro V specifications.
8. The refinery design complies with World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms.
9. It incorporates state-of-the-art technology.
10. It is designed to process large variety of crudes including many of the African Crudes, some of the Middle Eastern Crudes and the US Light Tight Oil.
11. About 65 million cubic metres of sand dredged, costing approximately €300 million, using the world’s largest dredgers.
12. Over 1,200 units of various equipment were bought to enhance the local capacity for site works.
13. Dangote Group bought 332 cranes to build up equipment installation capacity.
14. Also built is the world’s largest granite quarry to supply coarse aggregate, stone column material, stone base, stone dust & material for break water (10 million tonnes per year production capacity).
15. In a bid to bring over dimensional cargoes close to the site directly, Dangote Group had to developed a port and constructed two quays with a load bearing capacity of 25 tonnes/sq metre.
16. Constructed two more quays in the port with a capacity to handle up to Panamax vessels to export, two quays to handle liquid cargoes.
17. The port will have 6 quays, including a roll-on/roll-off quay.
18. In the course of the civil works, 700 piles were drilled on some days, with total number of piles up to 250,000.
19. It has 177 tanks of 4.742 billion litres capacity
20. Dangote is one of the few companies in the world executing a Petroleum Refinery and a Petrochemical complex directly as an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Contractor.
21. Training of 900 young engineers in refinery operations abroad. Mechanical Engineers trained in the GE University in Italy. Process engineers trained by Honeywell/UOP for six months.
Video and Photos from the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) Cultural Day
I was invited to the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) Cultural Day at the Balmoral Convention Centre of the Federal Palace Hotel and Casino on Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
All the glitz and razzmatazz of the fanfare of colourful fashion and style of Nigerian haute couture were displayed on the red carpet of the well organized event.
I saw popular Nollywood actor Wole Ojo and other celebrities dressed in their traditional Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and other tribal attires.
The AMVCA’s is the biggest Television and Film industry event of the year.
As part of its lineup, the AMVCA awards would benefit having a cultural day.
20 Years of Advocacy For Character Development of Nigerian Children and Youths for Nation Building: 2003 - 2023
In 2003, my King of Kings Books International sponsored the King of Kings Books International National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools in Nigeria at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies of the University of Lagos with the mission of character development of Nigerian children and youths for visionary leadership in the nation building of a New Nigeria.
In 2004 spoke to children and youths of the Foursquare Gospel Church at 62/66 Akinwunmi St, Alagomeji-Yaba, Lagos with the approval of the General Overseer, Rev. Wilson Badejo who met with me and commended my mission.
In 2004 I left Lagos for Bonny Island in Rivers State, where I sold books on medicine and true love in the Nigeria LNG Residential Area 1 where I had the presentation of my book, "The Language of True Love" on the Valentine's Day, February 14, 2006 and also sold the book on the street.
I joined the Assemblies of God Church in evangelism and supported church planting on Bonny Island.
I returned to Lagos in 2008 to focus on the advocacy for the education of the millions of underprivileged girls out of school in Nigeria.
The success stories include the following:
* Nigerian premiere of "In The Name of Your Daughter" cosponsored by the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria on May 23, 2019.
I am glad and grateful for the cooperation and support of everyone, company and organization since 2003 to date in the upliftment of Nigerian children and youths.
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