Flower Girl to premiere in Ghana 

FLOWER Girl, the romantic comedy from Michelle Bello, will premiere in Ghana on April 5. The screening holds at the Silverbird Galleria, Accra. The movie stars Eku Edewor, Damilola Adegbite, Chucks Chukwujekwu, Chris Attoh and Bikiya Graham-Douglas. It was first premiered on February 14 at the Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos with over 200 people in attendance including the lead actors and celebrities from the entertainment industry, the media, sponsors of the movie premiere, friends and colleagues. Flower Girl revolves round the life of a shy florist (Kemi) who is desperate to tie the knot with her long-time boyfriend (Umar). To make him jealous, she teams up with a most unlikely ally (Tunde), a famous Nollywood star. Directed by Michelle Bello (Small Boy) and co-Produced by Michelle Dede (Big Brother Nigeria), the movie benefited from the talent of the award winning Art Director, Bola Bello (AMAA award winner for Direction: Small Boy), award winning screenwriter, Jigi Bello (Shooter, The Waiting Room) and Director of Photography, James Costello (2011 African & Nigerian Critics Award winner for Cinematography: Inale, and DP of Last Flight to Abuja and Black November). It is sponsored by blue chip organisations including The Guardian Newspapers, NLPC Pension Fund Administrators Limited, Gregoose/Martini, Newton and David, Tanus Books, Bella Naija, African Movie Entertainment (MNET), Vanguard Newspapers, Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Yellow Chilli Restaurant, Beeta Universal Arts Foundation and Jungle Filmworks, Flower Girl was reportedly voted the number one movie in the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas on Valentine’s Day and it also ranked number one in the Nigerian movies charts despite having no major Nollywood stars in a lead role.

Aduaka wins ‘consolatory’ prize at FESPACO 2013

FRANCE-based Nigerian filmmaker, Newton Ifeanyi Aduaka’s One Man Show has been adjudged the best of the lot in this year’s Festival of Pan African Cinema dubbed FESPACO. However, this is based on the report of an unofficial jury constituted by the Federation of African Cinema Critics (FACC). What is official is that the jury of the 10-day long festival unanimously picked Tey (Today) the film by Senegalese filmmaker, Alain Gomis, as the best. The festival, which opened on February 23, ended March 3 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The city has hosted the festival since 1969.

Gomis’ film, which featured Saul Williams and Aissa Maiga in lead roles, examined the relationship between the living and the dead. It beat 20 other films to clinch the star prize of this edition. This is the first time a Senegalese film will receive FESPACO’s top prize. In awarding him the prize, the jury described Tey as one  ‘cinematic grace’.

Gomis dedicated the prize to his home country Senegal and its citizens. He paid glowing tributes to his colleagues in Senegal who struggle to make films under very stringent conditions. ''This is for all Senegalese especially those that have over the last few years struggled, toiled and persevered to make films in difficult conditions." Gomis said. “Funding is difficult. You have to depend on outside sources to make films.”

Heroes and Zeroes by Niji Akanni also failed to win a prize. Aduaka, whose film featured in the main category, missed the top prize — Etalon D’or while Akanni’s Heroes and Zeroes missed the prize in the video category. Aside from not winning, Nigerian films have not been accepted in official competition of FESPACO. The mentions Nigeria has had in the main category in recent years have been from Europe-based filmmakers. The organisers have always insisted that to be eligible for the main category, films must be shot on celluloid. At the last edition in 2011, two Nigerian films on the shortlist — Champion of Our Times (which got second place prize) and Figurine featured in the video category. However, Andrew Dosumu, a United States-based filmmaker had his film, Restless City, in main competition in 2011 likewise Newton Aduaka whose film, Ezra, won the top prize — Etalon D'or de Yennenga in 2007. Both films were shot on celluloid. In fact, Aduaka’s feat in 2007 marked the third time a film from 'Anglophone' Africa grabbed the festival's most prestigious award after Ghana’s Kwa Ansah's Heritage Africa and South Africa’s Zola Maseko's Drum in 2005. Aduaka would have made it second for Nigeria and fourth winning for Anglophone Africa if he had picked the top prize this time. The other winners include Yema by Algerian Djamila Sahraoui (Silver Stallion), and La Pirogue (The Dugout) by Senegalese Moussa Touré (Bronze Stallion). The award for Best First Feature Film went to Les Enfants De Toumaron by Harri Krisna and Sharvan Anenden from Mauritius. Nadia El Fani got the award for Best documentary for the film, Meme Pas Mal, while the award for Best Short Film went to Les Souliers de l'Aid by Anis Lasoued from Tunisia. With the theme, African Cinema and Public Policy in Africa, and promoted as a platform that allows filmmakers to network and catch up on the latest trends in African cinema, FESPACO berthed in 1969 to contribute to the expansion and development of African Cinema. The next edition is billed for February 2015.

 

 

iREP docufest is March 21 in Lagos

THE 2013 edition of iREPRESENT (iREP) International Documentary Film Festival will hold from March 21 to 24 at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island and Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos. The yearly festival, according to the iREP Executive Director and co-founder, Femi Odugbemi, will feature over 30 films addressing different aspects of the festival core theme from filmmakers across the Diaspora. iRepresent International Documentary Film Festival is a yearly festival dedicated to promoting awareness about the power of documentary films to serve as a means of deepening and sharing social and cultural education as well as encouraging participatory democracy in our societies. Odugbemi disclosed that the 2013 edition would also feature panel discussions, a session on Project Pitching and a Producers Roundtable. The theme of the festival, as Odugbemi informed, is conceptualised on the framework of ‘Africa in Self Conversation’ and it is expected to explore the theme of ‘Reconnection’ which was inspired by the famous quote of the late Ghanaian leader and statesman, Kwame Nkrumah: “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me’. However, the scope of the iREP Festival, as Odugbemi said, would cover areas “as the need for rediscovery – spiritually, morally, socially, politically and economically – a reconnection with our true identity and values, and the potential of this resulting awareness to be used as a tool for reshaping the African nation.” The former President of the Independent Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN), who hinted that the Dean of African Studies of the New York University, Professor Awam Amkpa, would give the keynote, maintained that the discourse of the African identity begs for more than mere rhetoric of race and space. He described Africa as a world that is alive in every African, at the most misunderstood and abandoned, yet, it is undeniably present. Information on festival can be sourced at www.irepfilmfestival.com.

 

AMAA 2013 nomination still in Malawi, Bayelsa to host awards

ALL roads lead to Malawi from March 15, as organisers of the yearly African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) unveil nominees for its 9^th edition of the awards. The nomination ceremony for the 24 categories holds on March 16. AMAA is regarded as Africa’s answer to the Oscars and filmmakers from all over the continent and the Diaspora, who sent in entries for the 2013 awards, are looking forward to a good outing. A total of 671 films were submitted for AMAA in 2013 according to statistics provided by the Director of Administration of AMAA, Tony Anih. Giving the breakdown of the entries, Anih revealed that 184 short films, 108 Diaspora features, documentaries and shorts films, 60 documentaries from Africa and 319 feature films from within and outside Africa including films made by Africans living abroad were received. The AMAA head of admin explained that the number of entries received showed a great improvement compared with the average of 300 films that were entered in previous editions. As Anih observed: “This year is a milestone for AMAA as the award will hold its 9th edition and surprisingly the French speaking African countries have finally embraced the award as the best and biggest in Africa. I want to give kudos to the promoters of this award for the commitment and dedication. We are happy about this development. We have ensured that the integrity of the award remain unassailable and this account for the level of huge participation across Africa and the Diaspora.” The award holds in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State on April 20.