Femi Odugbemi’s “Bariga Boy” and other Nigerian films Top 2010 AMAA

Femi Odugbemi

Saturday night April 10, the urbane Nigerian filmmaker Femi Odugbemi’s documentary film “Bariga Boy” was the winner of the coveted prize for Best Documentary Film at the 2010 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) held in Yenagoa, the capital city of Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

AMAA known as the African Oscars attracted top movie stars, filmmakers and aficionados from Africa and other continents, but the competition was for only Africans. Most of the nominees came from outside the host country and proved that they have more to show Nigeria than what Nigerian filmmakers can show them. Izu Chukwu’s film “The Child” won the AMAA for the best achievement in Editing and for the best achievement in Make-Up, the film “Fulani” won the AMAA for the best achievement in Art Direction, “I Sing of a Well” was the best in Sound, Kunle Afolayan’s horror movie “Figurine” won the AMAA Heart of Africa Award for the best film from Nigeria, and “Imani” from Uganda was the best film in the African language.

CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS OF ALL THE NOMINEES AND WINNERS OF THE 2010 AMAA.

Femi Odugbemi’s short documentary film chronicles the picturesque life of a young Nigerian actor and choreographer Segun Adefila and his dance drama troupe as he overcomes the challenges of struggling for survival in the Lagos ghetto of Bariga. The spirit of his art propels his genius to rise above the poverty surrounding him and his Crown Troupe of Africa.

ABOUT “BARIGA BOY”:

SYNOPSIS.

The poverty and deprivation of ghetto life is no barrier, rather it is the source of inspiration for the dynamic and politically-charged dance drama of Segun Adefila and the Crown Troupe.
From the inner city slums of Bariga in Lagos, Adefila and an unlikely band of street performers create a guerilla theatre of inspiring music and dance drama with themes that parody the sensitive contradictions of the politics and government of Nigeria.

The documentary chronicles the artistic development of Segun Adefila and his Crown troupe’s emergence as the most sought-after dance drama theatre in Nigeria, appreciated for their thought-provoking approach to their art as a mirror of their environment and a tool for social change. Featuring landmark music and dance performances and incisive commentaries from leading Nigeria culture personalities such as Ahmed Yerima, Francesca Emmanuel, Duro Oni, Tunde Kelani and Jahman Anikulapo,
“Bariga Boy” is a gripping experience of how one artiste’s creative consciousness is fired by the urban ghetto experience.

Duration: 26mins

Crew : Producer/Director: Femi Odugbemi
Writer: Femi Odugbemi
Photography: Rasaq Disu
Lighting: Oluwole Olawoyin
Sound: Steve Awanah
Editor: Hakeem Olowokere & Olumide Obajimi

Sales Contact: Femi Odugbemi
Email: femiodugbemi@gmail.com