Month: August 2015

Benedict Johnon .Akeem Rahman, Madu C Chikwendu, Amayo Uzo Philip Move To Save Ibo Culture In Nkuma
August 19, 2015Umuahia, Southeast Nigeria –Five years after he initiated a conference for the revival of Ibo language films, frontline Filmmaker and Activist Madu C Chikwendu has finally redeemed his pledge to the Ibo nation. His shingle Kraftman Production has completed Principal Photography on the highly anticipated Ibo Language film “Nkuma“.

Filmed on High Definition in the highlands of Abia state, Nkuma goes behind the myth to unearth the realities of being a warrior amongst the Abiriba people of Abia state .Starring Benedict Johnson, Akeem Rahman, Ben Onuegbu and Hajiya Abubakar the movie assembles a glittering cast whose mastery of Ibo language and culture will surely propel the language and culture of the Ibo’s to new heights.
The Abiriba, Ada, Abam Ohafioa peoples ofAbia State alongside the Ashanti of Ghana and the ancient Romans are amongst the world’s earliest professional soldiers. They were soldiers for hire used mainly by the Aro’s for slave raiding operations. But amongst these tribes a precondition for fullmanhood isthe provision of a specified number of humanheads. This was the ultimate test of Manhood. Some of the warriors never return from this mission.Okwute’s(Benedict Johnson) father never returnedfrom hismission. Now he must embark on a similar mission and raid a distant clan.
For Executive Producer / Producer Madu C Chikwendu:
Making this movie has always been one of my ambitions in life. Growing up in South Eastern Nigeria it is still difficult to say whether “Ndi Ogbuisi “ ( Head Hunters ) were heroes or villains but they were a bit like bogey men used to scare children…..they were supposedly lurking somewhere in the Bamboo thicket. As a Filmmaker it was quite interesting to research this phenomenon and unravel why they existed in the first instance.
Nkuma is helmed by Amayo Uzor Philip (DGN) starring Benedict Johnson, AkeemRahman, BenOnuegbuand HajiyaAbubaker aka Dambaru.Movie is helmed by fast rising DOP Chukwudi Madu with Phil Collins and Fred Amakom as Line Producer and Associate Producer respectively.
Director Amayo Uzor Philip declared that it was a breathtaking experience:
First Madu and I have been very concerned since the revelation that the Igbo language is dying. So for me it was also a mission…to save the language of my people. So we had to be careful to cast people with the necessary mastery of the language plus the physique hence the choice of BJ (Benedict Johnson as the warrior Okwute.
The movie will go on a global tour after a World Premiere in November 2015. You can watch the trailer on YouTube via this link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH_dRrmHnPg or directly from our web site here: http://mcmng.org/kraftman-production.html
ABOUT KRAFTMAN PRODUCTION
Founded by Filmmaker Madu C.Chikwendu Kraftman Production is the Lifestyle, Audio Visual distribution and Production powerhouse of Madu’s MCM group ( www.mcmng.org.) Other units include Thud Worldwide Consultants Ltd and Lagos Film Institute.Notable brands include Miss Safety International Beauty Pageant, Lagos International Film Festival, and Leap International Film Festival.
-End-

This year’s edition of the Eko International Film Festival billed to rally film stars, directors, producers, script writers, film makers among other allied tourism sectors is billed for November 16 to 21, 2015 in Lagos.
According to the Founder/President of Eko International Film Festival, Mr Hope Obioma Opara, “The film festival has already attracted 3,114 entries from 118 countries cut across the continents.
Opara said that the festival’s focus during this edition will be on contributions of the media to the growth of the film industry.
He added that with the encouraging numbers of entry received, there is strong hope that the film festival will continue to be bigger.
Opara said that the film submission for the festival, which was opened till June 30, 2015, has been extended to July 15, 2015 to avail those who are yet to put in for the festival.
“Film submissions must be in one of the seven categories; feature, short fiction and documentaries, short documentaries, horror, student film and one minute.
“Other activities during this week-long event include workshops and seminars with brand platform and support for corporate organizations to be part of the event.”

Written by: ‘Wale Olapade

  LOS ANGELES—
The 2012 film “Last Flight to Abuja” from Nigerian director Obi Emelonye was a disaster thriller based on the true tale of an air crash.
“30 Days in Atlanta,” a 2014 film from Nigerian comic Ayo Makun, was the top-earning Nigerian feature ever. It chronicles the adventures of a Nigerian man and his cousin on a monthlong trip to America.
Cinema professors and movie professionals recently met with 30 Nigerian producers at the University of California-Los Angeles film school, where the Nollywood moviemakers heard tips on promoting their burgeoning industry — the world’s second largest by number of films produced, trailing India’s Bollywood but ahead of Hollywood.

FIDELIS DUKER

(Film Maker/Founder Abuja International Film  Festival)

“It is an industry that employs close to a million people, either directly or indirectly, and has close to about $500 million a year in revenues annually,” said filmmaker Fidelis Duker.
It could have billions in revenue if not for piracy. Pirated DVDs are sold openly in markets, and the Nigerian government has promised to crack down.
Nigeria produces more than 1,000 feature films each year. Most are quickly shot on inexpensive digital equipment. They are typically direct-to-DVD productions, with budgets in the tens of thousands of dollars. Major Hollywood movies can cost $200 million or more.
In two weeks of seminars at UCLA, these producers heard about the art and business of moviemaking. Hollywood actress Diane Ladd, a three-time Oscar nominee, spoke about the importance of collaboration.
“When we in the arts work together, we are promoting culture,” Ladd said. “And remember, if this civilization loses its culture, you lose the civilization.”
The 2014 film “Half of a Yellow Sun,” starring British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, was an adaptation of an award-winning African novel, set against the backdrop of the Biafran civil war in Nigeria of the 1960s. Nigerian producers say there are more like these to come.

August 06, 2015 4:57 PM