Giant strides of Nollywood’s reel women- By AZUH AMATUS
A new wind of change is currently blowing across the length and breadth of Nollywood in the last one year and above.
Surprisingly, those behind this ingenious wind are a few of the leading and several emerging female film producers in Nollywood, the pride of Africa and the world’s second largest film producing nation.
Amazingly, these dogged and creative reel women of tinsel town, in the last one year, have hugely succeeded in completely changing the trend, perception and direction of the industry with their intimidating presence and daring concepts. And in doing all these wonders, they have also created employment opportunities for several jobless Nigerians, thus helping to bring about positive change and youthful role models in our troubled society.
Their commendable and conscious efforts are very visible in the areas of quality film productions, world-class premieres, international collaborations and mouth-watering box offices and exhibitions.
Moreover, their sensationally applauded works and ideas have equally brought honour, fame, prestige and glory to fatherland. This is a pointer to the fact that Nollywood remains one of the biggest brands immensely assisting to launder the battered image of Nigeria; especially outside our shores.
Even in the midst of last year’s global financial melt down, these great amazons of Nollywood remained undaunted and steadfast in churning out works for the nation’s motion picture industry, which was on the verge of collapsing. In fact, it was mainly their resilience, tenacity and never-say-die spirits that kept Nollywood alive during the crisis period and even till date. Even when their male counterparts gave up, due to biting financial crisis, they kept trudging on like wounded warriors, thus justifying the cliché that what a man can do; a woman can do even better.
Notable female producers like: Vivian Ejike, Emem Isong, Lilian Amah, Helen Ukpabio, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe alongside top actresses turned producers such as: Stephanie Okereke and Oby Edozieh, all have one thing in common-quality films accompanied with breathtaking premieres at upscale venues. Few even took the game higher; by staging some of these superlatives premieres, outside our shores, for the world to see and applaud.
Interestingly too, emerging producers like: Chinasa, Onyechere, Chinwe Egwuatu, Chineze Ahaene and Favour Benson have all joined in giving verve and vitality to the art of film premieres, which was hitherto nothing to write home about, in Nollywood.
Facts at our disposal has it that over N200 million had so far been expended putting these superlative and eye-popping premieres together in the last one and half years.
Undoubtedly, movies like: Through the Glass and Ije were said to have grossed over N20 million each at the box offices, in less than a fortnight of hitting the cinemas, after premiering to a large audience.
Looking critically at the above figures, many insiders and analyst believed that Nollywood can do far more better at the box offices, because according to Mr. Emeka Mba, the Director General of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), the industry is estimated to worth between 250 and 300 million dollars, on an annual basis.
Another report from UNESCO disclosed that if properly harnessed, Nollywood is capable of providing over two million jobs annually, and likely going to be the biggest employer of labour, for the nation in the next five years.
Leading female producer, Vivian Ejike, was the first to hold a world class premiere at the posh Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, where you need to cough out over a million Naira for venue alone. The pretty boss of Nollywood Distributions Company Limited, one of the frontline marketing and distribution outfits in Nollywood, achieved the above feat with her blockbuster movie, Silent Scandals, on Sunday, December 6, 2009. The film has sold over 200,000 copies since hitting shelves, a feat that is rare in Nollywood. In her words, the total budget for the movie was worth over N20 million.
The awesome premiere, which preceded a Ghanaian outing, was well attended by Nigerians from all walks of life. The painstakingly shot movie starring sultry actress, Genevieve Nnaji in the title role, later went ahead to clinch a joint award at this year’s AMAA.
Mrs. Ejike, a French graduate of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, whose outfit is poised to market and distribute big budget films such as: 30 Days, Jungle Ride, The Unsaid and several others, has been ranked as one of the busiest in Nollywood. The meticulous filmmaker has also concluded work on A Private Storm, her latest production, which world premiere is expected to hold soon in Nigeria, US and the UK, elaborately.
At the recently held TAVA awards, Silent Scandals and another of her movies, When The Heart Lies, carted home eight awards, four at par, respectively. Ejike, a former top banker is highly revered in Nollywood and has close to a dozen flicks to her credit.
Anambra State born Ejike and her erstwhile business partner, Emem Isong, single handedly elevated the art of premieres in Nollywood, when they stormed upscale Civic Centre, Victoria Island, in 2008, for the joint premieres of When The Heart Lies and Reloaded. Both movies were reported to have gulped over N25 million.
Another top female producer whose giant strides reverberate within and outside Nollywood is Emem Isong, the Theatre Arts graduate of the University of Calabar. Since her emergence in Nollywood over a decade ago, Isong has continued to dazzle and entertain Nollywood with great movies. Between 2009 and this year, she has organized three world-class premieres at highbrow venues. In fact, her recent joint premieres with the duo of Uche Jombo and Desmond Elliot on projects Bursting Out and Holding Hope, at Silverbird Cinemas on Sunday, August 8, 2010, is still being talked about within and outside the industry. She recently made history in Nollywood with the opening of her Royal Arts Academy, a training institute for aspiring actors and filmmakers, on Monday, June 7, 2010. With over 20 hit movies to her credit, she has equally discovered and groomed several known names in Nollywood.\
Isong equally changed the status quo in Nollywood last year, at same Silverbird Cinemas, when she premiered the blockbuster movie, Guilty Pleasures, worth over N10 million.
Not even the ghastly car accident that nearly claimed her precious life some years ago could stop effervescent actress, Stephanie Okereke, from re-writing the history of Nollywood at the international premiere of Through The Glass. A fascinating movie she produced and directed in Hollywood, USA, last year, with over N20 million budget.
The groundbreaking premiere that held at the Silverbird Cinemas on Sunday, September 13, 2009, was graced by all the foreign stars that thrilled in the fast paced movie. Even the exquisite and eye-popping red carpet was unprecedented in the history of Nollywood premieres.
While speaking on the success of the premiere, the delectable New York Film Academy (NYFA) trained actress, who recently partnered USAID to fight Fistula in Nigerian, disclosed that she’s a perfectionist that likes coming out with the best in whatever she does. The talk of the town premiere preceded the US edition, which held within the Hollywood vicinity amid rave reviews in the international media.
Early this year, Miss Okerere, stood side by side on the international stage with US Secretary of States, Hilary Rodham Clinton and other top women from around the world on the invitation of a US-based NGO, Global Women of the World and Vital Voices. The exposure, she said was a huge plus for her career and Nollywood. The boss of Next Page Productions has also been consistent with her campaign and support for the plight of indigent women and their children, using her NGO, Extended Hands, to find succour for them.
Also, as part of the strategic plans and efforts of these reel women in revamping a dying industry, soft-spoken actress-filmmaker, Lilian Amah Aluko, put up a scintillating premiere for her fourth movie, Jungle Ride.
The star studded event that held amid glitz, glamour and razzmatazz at the Silverbird Cinemas on Sunday, February 28, 2010, energized and paved the way for all the good things currently being experienced in Nollywood this 2010. In fact, the memorable premiere of Mrs. Aluko, the current Vice President of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), helped prepared the industry for the groove it’s now enjoying and experiencing since the beginning of the year. After the wonderful outing, some top Nollywood practitioners and stakeholders that spoke with Daily Sun, unanimously agreed there was still hope for Nollywood, despite the daunting challenges.
In quick succession, the world premiere of Dry Waters from the stable of Miss Chinasa Onychere-led Kech Productions was another icing on the cake for an industry that was already declining.
Held on Sunday, May 23, 2010, at the Cinema Hall 1, National Theatre, Lagos, the gathering was surprisingly attended by the CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi among other dignitaries from both the public and private sectors. Over N10 million was realized at the premiere/launch.
Speaking at the premiere of Miss Onyechere, the incumbent national treasurer of AMP, Sanusi commended Nollywood for creating employment opportunities and helping to launder the battered image of Nigeria through her various productions.
The Friday, June 4, 2010, international premiere of Bishop’s Cabinet at the classy Terrakulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, was another reason reel Nollywood women truly deserves our commendations and plaudits. Produced by Favour Benson, the premiere that was chaired by the Lagos State First Lady, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, was a huge success in all ramifications.
Amiable Benson is raring to go for another bumper outing in Nollywood, which is fast picking up and bouncing back to reckoning.
A couple of weeks ago, Nigerian born US trained filmmaker, Chineze Ahaene, made unstoppable headlines with the grand premiere of her latest feature length film Ije. The spectacular event, which many observers and stakeholders hailed as a big boost for dear Nollywood, was equally graced by some of the foreign casts in the heart-wrenching thriller.
According to the University of Abuja Theatre Arts graduate from Enugu State, the urge to lense an internationally acceptable movie gave birth to Ije. Aside producing, she equally directed the flick, which` rekindled the acting rivalry between Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde. Ije is currently re-writing the history of box offices in major cinemas across the country.
While the global economic crunch was directly and indirectly biting hard at Nollywood practitioners, especially the men folk last year, Miss Chinwe Egwuatu, against all odds, produced and went ahead to organize a classy world premiere for Onyebuchim, her Igbo language movie.
The well-attended event held amid applause and grandeur at the splendid Golden Gate Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Meanwhile, the previous year, the boss of Peculiar Communications Limited, had also organized a scintillating premiere at same venue, for her debut film– Forget Heaven.
Woman of God and film producer, Helen Ukpabio, was another practitioner that assisted in keeping the industry alive with quality productions while the crisis period lasted. Her Liberty Films outfit headquartered in Calabar, Cross River State never relented in producing star-studded movies for tinsel town, despite the meltdown that dealt most of her male colleagues, a heavy blow.
Undeterred Ukpabio, who’s also an author, continued with her giant reel works this 2010, by ‘relocated’ some of the biggest names in the industry, to Calabar, for the lensing of her latest big budget movie, Echoes of the Ancestors. When completed, she intends storming major film festivals globally with the flick. She has so far produced and financed over 22 quality and expository movies for Nollywood.
Imagine what Nollywood would have been or reduced to without the giant contributions of these sterling reel ambassadors and amazons.
The buzz generated with the world premiere of Oby Edozieh’s latest effort, Save Our Souls, at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, has not died down. The classy evening of fun, networking and relaxation at the city of power, was hosted by the First Lady, Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan alongside other top government functionaries. The Thursday, August 26, 2010, outing was seen by many as a major breakthrough for Nollywood.
Edozieh, continued her commendable work with the Lagos edition of the spell-binding premiere on Sunday, August 29, at the glamourous Oriental Hotel, Lekki. Speaking on the movie, which thematically dwells on the plights of victims of Cancer and ways of assisting them find cure, Edozieh, hinted that the big budget flick was painstakingly shot in Nigeria, UK and India, respectively. She also used the platform provided by both occasions, to unveil her Oby Gold Cancer Foundation. The movie is now scheduled to hit the Silverbird cinemas nationwide soon.
Hard-working Peace Anyiam Osigwe, is another female phenomenon constantly performing wonders in Nollywood.
Aside successfully staging the annual AMAA, in the last six years, despite several mounting challenges, she’s equally poised to kick start a continental film rendezvous tagged: Africa International Film Festival (AFFRIFF). The maiden edition is expected to hold in Rivers State, this December. Her PMO Global studios recently premiered a captivating new soap, GRA Women, a couple of weeks ago. She has succeeded in keeping Nollywood alive as well as giving her a global voice with these laudable initiatives and several trainings and workshops for its practitioners.
Since two years ago that Spider hit the airwaves, its producer/creator, Mrs. Ariyike Oladipo, has not rested on her oars. To further boost the content delivery and image of the multiple award winning soap that is hugely syndicated on network TV, some of the leading names in Nollywood were brought on board as casts, thus making it a must watch for Nigerians every week.
And to prove that the place of women in the motion picture industry can no longer be relegated to the background, they recently came together sometimes this year under the aegis of Women In Film Forum (WIFF) and organized a conference/workshop. WIFF, among other aims and objectives, seeks to promote and protect their interests as actresses and filmmakers in Nollywood. Top actress, Joke Silva spearheaded this bold and conscious move with the support of her colleagues.
First published, September 2010
