The 11th Abuja International Film festival opened yesterday with world premier and launch of Five Nollywood movies on Invasion 1897 and four others on Biofortication at the Silverbird Cinema, Abuja. The Invasion 1897, a Lancelott Oduwa Imausuen film is a 100 minutes genre shot in Nigeria, that tells the story of British invasion of the Binin Empire in 1897. The four other movies on Vitamin A Cassava: The Yellow Cassava – a Zeb Ejiro film; Dada Oni Paki – a Fidelis Duker film; Ebiyemi – a Chico Ejiro film and Sakani – an Obi Osotule film came in four major languages of English, Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa. The Vitamin A Cassava movie is an advocacy film and a joint effort of Smile Africa Network limited and HarvestPlus Nigeria and produced by Zeb Ejiro, aimed at creating adequate awareness on the federal government’s new policy on cassava flour to Nigerian populace and to fight malnutrition among children under age five. The annual event credited to be the largest in the AngloAfrica drew top Nollywood stars to network and share ideas on how to make the industry globally competitive.
[eap_ad_2] The founder of Abuja International Film Festival, Fidelis Duker, said the successful running of the event in unbroken period of eleven years has made the event a pivotal moment in the history of Cinema in Nigeria. He said the Abuja International Film festival is the first completely international film festival in Nigeria to have had eleven uninterrupted and successive edition in Nigeria and Anglophone West Africa. According to him, about 200 films were submitted this year for the festival, which for him is a pointer to the growth and global acceptance of the films festival. Of the 200 films submitted, he explained that 55 cutting edge films were screened and 34 were up for the awards this year, which has added two new categories for music score and student films for aspiring filmmakers in film schools. ‘‘My observation in the last 11 years of running the Abuja international film festival is that what we believe to be true in our society can perhaps be a myth in another and vice versa. We will see that Nigeria is a part of the world and the world a part of Nigeria. ‘‘It may teach us that there is fulfillment in emptiness and emptiness within fulfillment. It is then that we see that our neighbor is not our enemy but a friend, a companion in our journey of life and that patience is essential. This outlook on life is a necessity for a society that is going through a trying time of insurgent attacks and terrorism. The films of this festival contain the key to making that change,’’ he said. He urged all the Hollywood stars to join hands with him in making the event worthwhile. The producer of Invasion 1897, Mr. Lancelott Imasuen said his major challenge in producing the film came from funding but noted that he was able to sale through by sheer of commitment and hardwork. He expressed delight for the success attained with the launch in both Nigeria and abroad and urged the government and private sector to create the enabling environment for the industry to thrive. ‘‘At the beginning of producing this movie, funding became a challenge to me but today, I give God all the glory that the dream has finally become a reality. I am happy the world has started seeing it. I was actually worries about what my colleagues and people would say but their reactions today have boosted my morale. This is the first time it is showing in Nigeria, it has shown in UK and some other parts of the world few days back. I am so overwhelmed by the turn out of people. ‘‘The film was a four year journey with lots of challenges in the process but the good news is that we overcame our problems. I think, what my colleagues must do is to ensure that their work meet international standards because that was what guided me in this production. But for us to succeed, government and the private sector must appreciate the contribution of this industry and create the enabling environment for us to grow the industry to where it should be,’’ said Lancelott. Highlight of the event would be award presentation to deserving Nollywood Stars and other movie producers. (Vanguard)
