Abuja – Stakeholders in Nigeria’s movie industry have cautioned warring parties involved in the yet-to-be released controversial movie on Ebola titled, “93 Days’’ to sheath their swords.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the movie, produced by Steve Gukas, celebrate the exploits and achievements of Nigerians who gallantly fought and even paid the supreme price to curb the spread of the Ebola virus in Nigeria.
Mr Rahp Nwadike, President Association of Movie Producers (AMP) and Mr Andy Amenechi, National President, Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) gave the caution on Monday in Abuja in separate interviews with NAN.
They contended that the movie was based on Nigeria’s collective victory over Ebola and should be told without conflict.
They also expressed concern over the war-of-words between the families of late Dr Stella Adadevoh, the doctor who died while treating the late Mr Sawyer from Liberia and the producers of the movie.
Amenechi cautioned against taking any action that would temper with the peace and harmony in the nation’s film industry.
“Both parties should show understanding for the common good of Nollywood,” he said.
He contended that taking legal action to prevent the production of the yet-to-released movie was unnecessary as the Ebola story was a Nigerian story and was already in public domain.
“Professionally, anyone can tell such a story from any perspective without inculcating exact bit of details,” Amenechi said.
On his part, Nwadike explained that as professionals, the producers of the movie knew what they were doing in telling the Ebola story.
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“If there are areas of the script that does not really reflect the true character of the late doctor, they can be worked on.
“Legal action is not necessary as the film involved other characters in the story of how we united as Nigerians against a common enemy called Ebola,” he said.
NAN recalls that a letter dated Jan. 3, 2016, purportedly written by one Anna Adadevoh, on behalf of the Cardoso and Adadevoh families distanced the families from the movie.
According to the letter, the movie is a misrepresentation of the sacrifice made by the late Adadevoh who paid the supreme price in her attempt to curb the spread of Ebola in Nigeria.
The family also criticised the producers of the movie for accessing the personal medical file of the deceased doctor.
In his reaction to the criticism, Gukas, the producer of the movie, described the content of the letter as “false and malicious,’’ adding that it was a calculated attempt to sabotage the production of the film.
He said that “93 Days’’ was not the biopic of anyone individual and the producers never claimed the story was mainly dedicated to the heroic act of the late Adadevoh.”
He insisted that the story was not all about the late Adadevoh, but one that celebrated all the heroes and heroines who fought gallantly to prevent the spread of Ebola in Nigeria.
“These include the doctors, nurses and staff of First Consultant’s Hospital, employees of Lagos State and Federal Ministries of Health and members of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
“Others are corporate and individual Nigerians who rose to the challenge of fighting the scourge as well as the WHO team that came in to help at the risk of personal injury and even death,” he said.
Gukas said that his company does not require the consent of anyone to produce the film, stressing that he had constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of speech and expression. (NAN)
