A new one from the producers of 30 days in Atlanta a comedy movie and bluckbuster
After a successful debut as a producer in 2014 with the highly acclaimed ’30 Days In Atlanta’ which broke all Hollywood and Nollywood box office records to become the highest grossing movie in the history of Nigeria, award-winning comedian AY is back again to engage and entertain movie lovers across the country with his highly anticipated movie ‘A Trip To Jamaica’.
According to Ayo Makun (AY), the executive producer, the movie is a hilarious installment of the Akpos series and was shot in Lagos, Atlanta and Montego Bay in Jamaica, with an all-star cast drawn from Nigeria, Ghana, America and Jamaica. “After the success of ‘30 Days In Atlanta’ there were a lot of calls for more so we decided to do a spinoff to showcase further adventures of Akpos”.
‘A Trip to Jamaica’ which bridges the gap between Nollywood, Gollywood, Hollywood and the Jamaican movie industry will be showcasing AY again as the no-holds-barred Akpos, alongside the award-winning FunkeAkindele, who plays Bola in the high voltage potpourri of love, adventure, crime and lots of comedy.
Other members of the high profile cast for this movie includes, celebrated Hollywood veteran Eric Roberts, Paul Campbell of ‘The 3rd World Cop’ fame in Jamaica, Nollywood A- List actress NseIkpe-Etim, Ghanaian Lover Boy Chris Attoh, Dan Davies from Hollywood and Rebecca Silvera who was the former Miss Jamaica and the Winner of ‘She’s Got Game’ American reality television dating game show.Also including cameo appearances from Music Stars: Cynthia Morgan, Patoranking and Olamide.
...Set to Premiere First at the Toronto Film Festival
The eventual release of Prince Tonye Princewill's Military Blockbuster, '76' would be an experience well worth the wait.
Mr Wabiye Idoniboye-Obu, the Personal Assistant on Media and Publicity to Prince Tonye Princewill who made this known in a statement said that the movie, which has been in production for over 6 years, and has passed the scrutiny of many movie critics, including having the full endorsement of the Nigerian Army; just recently got the nod of Former President Olusegun Obasanjo who became Head of State to succeed Murtala Mohammed whose assassination is depicted in the film.
“This is very good achievement for the Adonis production team as Gen Obasanjo was well placed in the Army hierarchy when the actual events depicted in this movie took place in 1976” the statement noted
. A private screening was held for the former president at his Presidential library in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The former President used the opportunity to reflect on the events of the past, and reemphasized the importance of the unity of Nigeria.
According to him, the killing of a Muslim on a Friday by a gang thought to be Christians, particularly when we remembered the first coup, which upturned the political situation in the country, gave a very bad signal. We thank God Dimka was caught. What this will amount to; where will it lead us to and how can we get us out of this mess? These were the questions Nigerians had in mind.
While describing the film as “a mixture of sweet and sorrow”, Obasanjo commended the team for the production. He said: “It will make us remind ourselves not to go back to the dark days, which put us in go-no-go situation. We might not yet have lived up to our best, but we have lived through our worst."
He added: “We can have more of this, as there are more national issues that can be portrayed. We are capable of the best and that is what this film has shown,” he said.
The Executive Producer of the film, Prince Tonye Princewill, who led a delegation of the Cast and Crew including Rita Dominic, Izu Ojukwu and Chid Mokeme, responded saying the cast and crew of ‘1976’ were on tour of the country to seek support and stakeholder endorsement for the film, billed to premier in cinemas in November.
“The youth of today need to have a sense of the past, we have no sense of history, hence the resolve to have the film 1976, which is simply called ‘76”, he said.
Princewill said the visit to Obasanjo was important, “considering his position at that time in the country. He was there - in the front row. We deemed it wise to come and show him the film and curry his esteemed endorsement, which as you can see we have just got. We give all the glory to God."
Hours after the former President gave his nod, the landmark cinematic production, hit another milestone by being the first all-Nigerian, made in Nigeria movie chosen to have its own world premiere at the prestigious 41st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). This is the first of two in its world tour which is set to span across six continents.
According to the statement, “the film will have its specially laid out red carpet premiere on Sunday the 11th of September 2016 at the one and only Isabel Bader Theatre promises to be a truly unique & momentous occasion. All the key cast, crew and many special guests are all committed to walking the red carpet. Thanks to our Canadian media partners, the event will also be transmitted live via social media. A first for Nigerian audiences”
It would be recalled that the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is one of the most recognized film festivals in the world - a very important partner in facilitating the rise of emerging Oscar contenders, and as a key precursor in the awards race, all eyes will be on TIFF’s full line up, which often hosts high-profile premieres of Oscar-bound movies.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) today announced that Elfike Film Collective’s ‘The Wedding Party’ will premiere on its prestigious opening night as a selection of the Spotlight City to City programme.
The premiere scheduled for Thursday, 8th of September 2016 will hold at the historic Elgin Theatre.
The Kemi Adetiba directed romcom stars some of Africa’s biggest stars led byRichard Mofe-Damijo, Sola Sobowale, Alibaba, Iretiola Doyle, Banky W, andAdesua Etomi, with the stars of the film expected to attend the premiere.
Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival says“We are pleased to welcome The Wedding Party by award-winning filmmaker Kemi Adetiba to the Festival, and are proud to present it to a global audience. Adetiba has delivered an exciting character-driven film on a grand scale, while putting her own unique spin on a familiar genre.”
According to Executive Producer, Mo Abudu“This will be the second time an EbonyLife movie is selected to screen at an International Film Festival of great repute, TIFF’s selection of ‘The Wedding Party’ is a true honour. I can’t think of a better place, or a better global audience for the film’s festival Premiere.”
Written by playwright Tosin Otudeko and Kemi Adetiba, ‘The Wedding Party’ is the story of Dunni Coker (Adesua Etomi), a 24 year old art gallery owner and only daughter of her parents about to marry the love of her life, IT entrepreneurDozie (Banky W). The couple took a vow of chastity and is looking forward to a ground-breaking first night together as a married couple. Alibaba and Sola Sobowale play the role of Dunni’s parents while Iretiola Doyle and Richard Mofe-Damijo play Dozie’s parents. Other notable names in the stellar cast includeZainab Balogun, AY, Beverly Naya, Emma OhMyGod, Lepacious Bose, Somkele Idhalama, Daniella Brown, Ikechukwu Onunaku, Ayo Makun, Enyinna Nwigwe, Kunle Idowu, Sambasa Nzeribe, Hafiz Oyetoro amongst others.
Filming against a green screen in Illah, a village in southeast Nigeria, in November. The production is part of the Nollywood industry, which has exploded in Africa.Credit Glenna Gordon for The New York Times
ASABA, Nigeria — Sitting on a blue plastic stool in the sweltering heat, Ugezu J. Ugezu, one of Nigeria’s top filmmakers, was furiously rewriting his script as the cameras prepared to roll. “Cut!” he shouted after wrapping up a key scene, a confrontation between the two leading characters. Then, under his breath, he added, “Good as it gets.”
This was the seventh — and last — day of shooting in a village near here for “Beyond the Dance,” Mr. Ugezu’s story of an African prince’s choice of a bride, and the production had been conducted at a breakneck pace.
“In Nollywood, you don’t waste time,” he said. “It’s not the technical depth that has made our films so popular. It’s because of the story. We tell African stories.”
The stories told by Nigeria’s booming film industry, known as Nollywood, have emerged as a cultural phenomenon across Africa, the vanguard of the country’s growing influence across the continent in music, comedy, fashion and even religion.
A film set in Illah, a village in southeastern Nigeria, where electricity generators are a necessity for movie production crews.Credit Glenna Gordon for The New York Times
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, overtook its rival, South Africa, as the continent’s largest economy two years ago, thanks in part to the film industry’s explosive growth. Nollywood — a term I helped coin with a 2002 article when Nigeria’s movies were just starting to gain popularity outside the country — is an expression of boundless Nigerian entrepreneurialism and the nation’s self-perception as the natural leader of Africa, the one destined to speak on the continent’s behalf.
“The Nigerian movies are very, very popular in Tanzania, and, culturally, they’ve affected a lot of people,” said Songa wa Songa, a Tanzanian journalist. “A lot of people now speak with a Nigerian accent here very well thanks to Nollywood. Nigerians have succeeded through Nollywood to export who they are, their culture, their lifestyle, everything.”
Nollywood generates about 2,500 movies a year, making it the second-biggest producer after Bollywood in India, and its films have displaced American, Indian and Chinese ones on the televisions that are ubiquitous in bars, hair salons, airport lounges and homes across Africa.
The industry employs a million people — second only to farming — in Nigeria, pumping $600 million annually into the national economy, according to a 2014 report by the United States International Trade Commission. In 2002, it made 400 movies and $45 million.
Onyi Okerafor, left, an up-and-coming actress, watched scenes filmed for “Shina Rambo 2,” a sequel to a very profitable action movie. Though only 23, she has already appeared in nearly two dozen films.Credit Glenna Gordon for The New York Times
Nollywood resonates across Africa with its stories of a precolonial past and of a present caught between village life and urban modernity. The movies explore the tensions between the individual and extended families, between the draw of urban life and the pull of the village, between Christianity and traditional beliefs. For countless people, in a place long shaped by outsiders, Nollywood is redefining the African experience.
“I doubt that a white person, a European or American, can appreciate Nollywood movies the way an African can,” said Katsuva Ngoloma, a linguist at the University of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo who has written about Nollywood’s significance. “But Africans — the rich, the poor, everyone — will see themselves in those movies in one way or another.”
In Yeoville, a neighborhood in Johannesburg that is a melting pot for migrants, a seamstress from Ghana took orders one recent morning for the latest fashions seen in Nollywood movies. Hairstylists from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, working in salons or on the street, offered hair weaves following the styles favored by Nollywood actresses.
“Nigerian movies express how we live as Africans, what we experience in our everyday lives, things like witchcraft, things like fighting between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws,” said Patience Moyo, 34, a Zimbabwean hair-braider. “When you watch the movies, you feel it is really happening. One way or another, it will touch your life somewhere.”
Filming of the popular Nollywood series “Shina Rambo,” based on events surrounding a notorious real-life criminal.Credit Glenna Gordon for The New York Times
When I first reported on Nigeria’s film industry more than a decade ago, the movies were slapped together in such a makeshift fashion that, during one interview, a production manager offered me the part of an evil white man. (Never mind my Japanese roots, he assured me, I was close enough.) After I casually threw out the term “Nollywood” in a conversation with a colleague, a copy editor created this headline for my article: “Step Aside, L.A. and Bombay, for Nollywood.”
The name stuck — and spread. But success hasn’t robbed Nollywood of its freewheeling ways: During my recent visit to a Nigerian village where a half-dozen movies were being shot, a producer came over and, on the spot, offered me the role of an evil white man who brings a vampire to Nigeria.
Back in 2002, the movies were simply known as Nigeria’s home videos. They were popularized at first through video cassettes traded across Africa, but now Nollywood is available on satellite and cable television channels, as well as on streaming services like iRokoTV. In 2012, in response to swelling popularity in Francophone Africa, a satellite channel called Nollywood TV began offering round-the-clock movies dubbed into French. Most Nollywood movies are in English, though some are in one of Nigeria’s main ethnic languages.
Until Nollywood’s ascendance, movies made in Francophone Africa — with grants from the French government — dominated filmmaking on the continent. But these movies catered to the sensibilities of Western critics and viewers, and won few fans in Africa, leaving no cultural footprint.
The whole village came out to watch filming in Igbuzor, in southeast Nigeria.Credit Glenna Gordon for The New York Times
In Nollywood, though, movies are still financed by private investors expecting a profit.
“You want to do a movie? You have the script? You look immediately for the money and you shoot,” said Mahmood Ali-Balogun, a leading Nigerian filmmaker. “When you get a grant from France or the E.U., they can dictate to you where to put your camera, the fine-tuning of your script. It’s not a good model for us in Africa.”
Mr. Ali-Balogun was speaking from his office in Surulere, Lagos, the birthplace of Nollywood. Film production has since moved to other cities, especially Asaba, an otherwise sleepy state capital in southeastern Nigeria. On any given day, a dozen crews can be found here — “epic” films with ancient story lines like “Beyond the Dance” are in the works in nearby villages, while “glamour” movies about modern life make the city itself their sets.
One recent entry in the glamour category was “Okada 50,” the story of a woman and son who, after leaving their village, open a coffin business in the city and terrorize their neighbors.
Most films have budgets of about $25,000 and are shot in a week.
Once completed in Asaba, the movies find their way to every corner of Africa, released in the original English, dubbed into French or African languages, and sometimes readapted, repackaged and often pirated for local audiences. Many movies are also propelled by a symbiotic relationship with Nigeria’s Pentecostal Christianity, which pastors have exported throughout Africa.
People gathered to watch a film in production in Igbuzor in October. For countless people, on a continent whose past and present have long been shaped by outsiders, Nollywood is redefining the African experience.Credit Glenna Gordon for The New York Times
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, pastors who visited Nigeria years ago returned with videocassettes and showed the films in church to teach Christian lessons and attract new members, said Katrien Pype, a Belgian anthropologist at the University of Leuven who has written about the phenomenon.
Today in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, Nollywood permeates mainstream culture. Local women copy the fashion, makeup and hairstyles of the actresses; local musicians grumble at the popularity of Nigerian imports, like Don Jazzy and the P-Square twins.
Trésor Baka, a Congolese dubber who translates Nollywood movies into the local language, Lingala, said the films are popular because “Nigeria has succeeded in reconciling modernity and their ancient ways, their culture and traditions.”
Nollywood has also created a model for movie production in other African nations, said Matthias Krings, a German expert on African popular culture at Johannes Gutenberg University.
In Kitwe, Zambia, local filmmakers were recently making their latest movie in true Nollywood style: a family melodrama shot over 10 days, in a private home, on a $7,000 budget. Burned onto DVD, the movie will be sold in Zambia and neighboring countries.
Acknowledging the influence of Nigerian cinema, the movie’s producer, Morgan Mbulo, 36, said, “We can tell our own stories now.”
Do you remember the only scary cartoon we would watch as kids and enjoy older than scooby doo, lets see how older you are, if you remember the movie ghost bursters
A third Ghostbusters film had been in various stages of development following the release of Ghostbusters II in 1989. As a result of original cast member Bill Murray's refusal to commit to the project and the death of fellow cast member Harold Ramis in 2014, Sony decided to reboot the series with much of the original film's cast in cameo roles.
