Monday, December 6, 2021

Branwen Okpako, One of the Best NIgerian Filmmakers Outside Nollywood

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.



Welcome To FOCUS 2021, The Meeting Place For International Production

You are welcome to join us at FOCUS 2021

THE MEETING PLACE FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION

Business Design Centre London, UK.

From 7-8 December for the live component, with the virtual venue operating from 7-10 December. 

Whether you participate in person or online, FOCUS will continue to offer a vibrant space to connect, reconnect and share global production expertise across film, TV, advertising, animation and games.

Here is the link to sign up for the free delegate badge..
https://bit.ly/FOCUS21_reg.



Sunday, December 5, 2021

Chinonye Chukwu, One of the Most Daring NIgerian Born Filmmakers

Chinonye Chukwu is one of the most daring African American filmmakers and one of the three most accomplished NIgerian born female filmmakers with Ngozi Onwurah and Branwen Okpako. 

Chinonye will be on the cover of the third edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series, the first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry published since 2013. 

She directed "Igbo Kwenu!" (2009),"The Dance Lesson" (2010) about a young black girl who struggles to become a ballerina in an increasingly gentrified community and "Bottom" in 2012.

Her first feature film "Alaska-Land"
(2012), told the story of two estranged Nigerian-American brother and sister who eventually reunite in their hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska. In 2013 she directed "A Long Walk" (2013), a short film about a child who is publicly ridiculed by his father.
Her critically acclaimed "Clemency"
 (2019), a death row drama stars Alfre Woodard as a prison warden coming to terms with the demands of her profession and Aldis Hodge as one of her inmates bound for execution. Her inspiration for the film came from the case of Troy Davis, a prisoner executed in 2011. She moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to shoot the film. She received the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at 2019 Sundance, the first black woman to do so.

Chinonye is slated to direct "A Taste Of Power", a film based on the memoir of Elaine Brown.
Chinonye's new feature, Orion Pictures' 
"Till" is about Emmett Louis Till.
"Till" tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley whose pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son Emmett Louis Till  became a galvanizing moment that helped lead to the creation of the civil rights movement. As Time Magazine reported, “…thanks to a mother’s determination to expose the barbarousness of the crime, the public could no longer pretend to ignore what they couldn’t see.” Mamie’s decision to have an open casket at Emmett’s funeral, and to have Jet magazine publish David Jackson’s funeral photos, was driven by her motivation to ensure people everywhere knew what had happened to her son. The famous multiple award winning iconic actress, Whoopi Goldberg is playing Emmett’s grandmother.


The Challenges of Ava DuVernay, Chinonye Chukwu and Mati Diop To Nigerian Female Filmmakers

 The Challenges of Ava DuVernay, Chinonye Chukwu and Mati Diop To Nigerian Female Filmmakers


The most accomplished black female filmmaker is without dispute, Ava Marie DuVernay, the outstanding award winning African American film director, producer and screenwriter. She won the directing award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film "Middle of Nowhere", becoming the first black woman to win the award. For her work on "Selma" (2014), DuVernay became the first black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director and also the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2017, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film, "13th" (2016).

Following in her trail blazers' status are NIgerian born Chinonye Chukwu, the first black woman to win the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Dramatic Competition, on January 27, 2019 at Sundance and the French Senegalese Filmmaker, Mati Diop who became the first black woman to make the Official Selection of the 2019 annual Cannes Film Festival in the competition for the Palme d'Or for her directorial debut feature "Atlantics" that won the Grand Prix.

DuVernay, Chukwu and Diop are highly intellectual and philosophical filmmakers who are psychologically nuanced.
They are as good as the best male directors in cinema and a big challenge to other black female filmmakers. But do we have Nigerian female filmmakers of the same intellectual calibre with them in Nigeria and the Diaspora?
Yes, we have. But they are few; including the most accomplished, Ngozi Onwurah, whose "Welcome II the Terrordome" in 1995 became the first film directed by a Black British woman to receive a UK theatrical release; Branwen Okpako; Chika Anadu; Michelle Bello; Mildred Okwo and Tope Oshin.

Ngozi Onwurah

Branwen Okpako

Mildred Okwo
Tope Oshin.

The challenges of those I mentioned who work in Nollywood are several, including the scarcity of good production designers and good actors who understand English grammar for enunciation and interpretation of characters. Majority of the actors in Nollywood and Kannywood cannot act. They just want to belong to the glitz and razzmatazz of the popularity of movie stars. These fundamental challenges have negatively impacted on the overall ratings of Nigerian movies. I have seen many examples of amateurish actors in Nigerian movies by very good filmmakers.

I look forward to seeing these ambitious Nigerian female filmmakers making groundbreaking films with cheers all the way to the top from Cannes to the Oscars.

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series
https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima.

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Who is Qualified To Be the Next President of NIgeria?

Who is Qualified To Be the Next President of NIgeria?


I have more than 30 years experience in working for the presidential campaigns of top presidential aspirants in the political ruling class of NIgeria.
I was a special aide in the Publicity Department of the Presidential Campaign of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, CON for the National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1990-1992. He later became the President of the Africa Business Roundtable in 2012 and was National Chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) from March 2012 to January 2014.
I was one of the brains behind the social media campaign of the Transform NIgeria Network for former President Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR in 2014.

I have done a comprehensive political evaluation of all the potential presidential aspirants for the 2023 presidential election, and the only presidential aspirant who can tackle the widespread insecurity in NIgeria is former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON.

Only a fearless strong Commander-in- Chief can command the Nigerian Armed Forces to guarantee the national security of NIgerians.
Boko Haram and ISWAP are on rampage in the country, because President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to be a competent Commander-in-Chief and he is overwhelmed by the failures of the NIgerian military to defeat the bandits and terrorists who have killed over 300, 000 people with over 2, 000, 000 people left homeless and abandoned in the IDPs' camps in the worst humanitarian crisis since the first NIgerian civil war of 1967-1970.

The other presidential aspirants don't have the political pragmatism of visionary leadership and competence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who was the Vice President of former President Olusegun Obasanjo for eight years and they subdued every threat of terrorism and secured the lives and properties of NIgerians in every state of the federation.

I don't have to mention the shortcomings of the other presidential aspirants, because they are not capable of the political leadership of NIgeria in such a critical period of political crisis and national insecurity. They are too weak to be a powerful Commander-in-Chief.

Rigging gubernatorial elections to become state governors and turning the Treasury of the State to your ATM machine does not make you a competent presidential candidate when you should actually be in jail for corruption without any plea bargain.
What we need is a powerful Commander-in-Chief and not a wonderful thief of public funds from the revenues of your state.


Friday, December 3, 2021

Akokwa Hosts Nigeria as Eze Okoli Celebrates Odu Obi Festival

The ancient kingdom of Akokwa in Ideato North local government area of Imo state will on December 28, 2021 host Nigerians from all walks of life as its monarch, His Royal Majesty Eze (Sir) Ikenna C Okoli (KSC) (MSI)  (Okoli V.) Agbakwuruibe III. The 11th. Obi of Akokwa will be celebrating the 2021 edition of the prestigious Odu Obi festival, his second since ascending the throne.
For the monarch, it will be a triple celebration as his second ODU Obi festival coincides with his 19th anniversary on the throne of his forefathers.
He also turned 50 on February 28th 2021..



The 2021 Odu Obi festival will be graced by prominent Nigerians including His Royal Highness, Aseme-Alabo Duma Jack-Brown, KONGO XVI, Royal  Head  of the Buoye -Omuso (Brown) Royal/Major House, the paramount ruler of Finima, in Bonny local government of Rivers State, His Royal Highness, Igwe (Amb.) Lawrence Agubuzo,
Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council among other monarchs and personalities across the country.

Deserving Nigerians will be conferred with chieftaincy titles by the Akokwa monarch during the festival.
Ijele & Ikenga Akokwa and Chairman, Orange Group, Chief (Sir)Tony Ezenna,OFR is the chief host of the festival.
A detribalised Nigerian,  Eze Ikenna Okoli has friends across Nigeria's religious and ethnic divide having had his early education in the North, higher education at the Abia state university, Uturu, lived briefly in Lagos and ran his businesses in Abuja.
Born as Prince Ikenna C Okoli on 28th February,1971 to HRH Eze (Sir) Osita C Okoli IV (Late) and late Lady Bibian E Okoli (Ezenwanyi), Eze Okoli, as a young Prince, was embedded with the zeal for entrepreneurship hence immediately after his graduation decided to be an employer of labour hence the birthing of Equipment Alliance limited where he is still the MD/CEO till date.
Equipment Alliance Limited specializes in leasing of equipments such as earth and marine equipments with its head office at FCT,Abuja.The company played an important role in the construction of Abuja National Stadium prior to the hosting of the All African games(COJA) and committed to the construction of several other projects both in the public and private sectors.

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Mr. Ingram Adichie Osigwe,arpa
MD/CEO Fullpage International Communications Limited.

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Monday, November 29, 2021

Patience Ozokwor in AZUMKUTA KINGDOM

 


Patience Ozokwor in AZUMKUTA KINGDOM

"AZUMKUTA KINGDOM"
A new epic movie from #Nollywood available for international acquisition and distribution on Vuulr.

Director : Frank Ejelam

Producer: Saviour Okpara

Cast: Patience Ozokwor, Lord Frank, Frances

There are over 400 NIgerian movies on Vuulr.    

Click here to view the best NIgerian movies on Vuulr. .

#Nigeria
#Igbo
#epic
#drama #movies #entertainment #acquisition #distribution #netflix #amazon #africa

Great Nations Are Not Built By Making Great Speeches

Great nations are not built by making great speeches, but by doing great things for human development and nation building.

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, author of "Children of Heaven", "Scarlet Tears of London", "Diary of the Memory Keeper", "The Prophet Lied" and other books distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers worldwide.

https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima



Sunday, November 28, 2021

THE NEW NNPC BOARD AND STRATEGIC BALANCING

THE NEW NNPC BOARD AND STRATEGIC BALANCING

- By Frederick Harry


On August 16th 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the much awaited Petroleum Industry Bill into law. The signing of the Bill into law was hailed as a timely intervention as it is expected to “provide certainty to potential and existing investors on the applicable fiscal regime in the Petroleum Industry”. By the powers vested in the President under section 59 (2) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, on September 19, 2021 he approved and appointed the Board and Management of NNPC Ltd with Senator Godwin Ararume as the Chairman of the Board.

The appointment of the Chairman of the Board from Imo State in the South East was applauded as evidence that the relationship between the people of the region and the President was heading north.

The inauguration of the board has however been suspended twice as a result of scathing criticism against some members by some activists, civil society organisations, petitions from powerful interest groups and alleged resistance by the International Oil Companies (IOCs).

Mr. Deji Adeyanju, the Convener of Concerned Citizens of Nigeria had described the appointment of Senator Ararume as a travesty and criticized the Buhari government’s “penchant for outlandish and unconventional methods of appointing cronies and men of questionable character” to important public offices. He insisted that there are many qualified technocrats and experienced oil and gas industry players from Imo State that can lead the charge at NNPC and manage the country’s main source of revenue and that Senator Ararume does not fit in that mould.

This type of blistering and witheringly scornful criticism coupled with fight back by the IOCs and counteraction by the political elites across board allegedly led to the indefinite suspension of the inauguration of the board as announced by the Secretary to the Federal Government on November 23, 2021. It is now being speculated in the Energy Halls of Power and Corridors of Political Influence that the federal government is considering nominating another person as Chairman of the Board.

It is very imperative therefore that the Buhari administration should take certain salient factors including but not limited to political environment, economic challenges, management skills and social issues into consideration before making such a nomination.

On the political environment, the ruling party, APC has been striving to make in-roads in the South East and the South South regions of Nigeria. Senator Hope Uzodinma, the Imo State Governor has been leading from the front in ensuring that  citizens from the two regions embrace the party wholeheartedly. This can be seen from his tenacity and doggedness in persuading his brother Governors from Ebonyi and Cross River States to join the party. He has essentially converted all the big and influential political players in the South East to APC. It is the prevailing public opinion that if the nominated Chairman of the Board would be changed, the President should consult the Governor to liaise with other relevant stake holders from the South East to present an acceptable candidate with cognate industry and management experience to lead the board and that person should come from Imo State.

What many people may not know is that oil, the bedrock of the Nigerian economy was first discovered in Iho Dimeze community in Ikeduru LGA of Imo State in 1937 by Shell Petroleum then known as Shell D’Arcy. The company established a base in Owerri before it left for Oloibiri in Rivers State when it discovered oil in commercial quantities there in 1956.

With the recovery of 43 Oil Wells from Rivers State by the Uzodinma administration which is the greatest economic feat by any Imo Governor since 1999, Imo State is now an assertive 4th oil producing state in the country. Imo State is home to over 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas deposit and upside of potential 600 trillion cubic feet. Natural gas has today become a catalyst for socio-economic renaissance all over the world as the urgent need for clean and renewable energy need not be emphasized. With the emerging importance of Imo State to the nation’s economy, it would be unthinkable to deny the state the chance to lead the Board of NNPC Ltd.

It must however be reiterated that the new NNPC Board needs to be led by a certified change agent who is conversant with processes and management strategies of formulation, implementation, evaluation, modification and monitoring. It must be someone ready to implement a paradigm shift agenda with his eyes on the ball of common good not the next election. He must be an innovative thinker with excellent track record and culture of excellence in service crafting tactics to achieve objectives. He must demonstrate outstanding problem solving skills and exemplary team leadership ability with knowledge of climate challenges.

Nigeria is considered 58th most vulnerable and 22nd least ready nation to adapt to the threats of climate change. With 25% of the population living in exposed coastal region, a vast majority of the citizens plagued by devastating poverty and insecurity fueled partly by climate change, NNPC led by the Board should be ready for transitioning into “Green Economy”. The Board must be ready to create platforms for engagement to achieve climate readiness with clean energy and improved decision making.  The country cannot afford a misstep now.

The ball remains in the court of Mr. President to consult widely and give the Board a Chair that would lead the way for the nation’s economic progress. 

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Frederick Harry, a Nigerian from the Grand Bonny Kingdom, is a contributing editor to CNBC and Africa Business News.