Meet Bimbo Akintola

RECALL her?  Tutu of the ‘Out of Bounds’ fame who erupted in that movie like a volcano and etched herself in the memory of many? Even though that outing ranks as her first major screen performance and her first real feel of the screen acting turf, her input there spotlighted her as one showbiz personality with depth, a mien of the unpredictable and exotic romanticism that are particularly exciting as they are subtly wild. Today, almost a decade after, the seductive ‘Tutu’ in ‘Out of Bounds,’ a movie by Richard Mofe-Damijo has risen to be now referred to as an actress of vast credits and one of the most sought-after actresses in the Nigerian movie culture dubbed ‘Nollywood.’

Welcome to the world of Bimbo Abiola Bukola Aina Onoyigbe Mary-Ann Akintola, a theatre arts graduate of the University of Ibadan who started acting way back at Maryland Convent Private School, Lagos, where the pupils were used as ready actors for the school’s end of year drama event. It was from there that the interest grew. It caught on there so much that when she got into Command Day Secondary School Lagos, she found acting an easy kill.

Bimbo’s passion for acting however got to the peak soon after she left secondary school and was admitted to study theatre arts at the University of Ibadan. She engaged the raised platform at the University of Ibadan indoor theatre took part in a number of skits on the Oyo State Broadcasting service and was to later bag a degree in theatre arts.

Born to a father who is a renowned Islamic Scholar and a business woman mum, Bimbo is one theatre spirit widely believed to be easy-going, likes company, loves reading and singing. The third in a family of six (4 girls and 2 boys), Bimbo  who has a phobia for dogs was in 1999 voted the Best Actress of the year by the organisers of the annual REEL award for her unforgettable input in the movie ‘Out of Bounds’.

So far, Bimbo says she has featured in over 100 movies with a dozen others still at various stages of production. She also qualifies to be described as a crossover artiste having been involved in a number of movies produced in Yoruba. Of these movies which include ‘Owo Blow’, ‘The Gardener’, ‘Armadas’, ‘Diamond Ring’, ‘Back To Life’, ‘Eje Mi’,  and ‘Temi ni Tooto’, Bimbo who prefers listening to any music that is  ‘pleasant to the ears’ picks her outing in ‘Out of Bounds’ as her most challenging movie run yet.

Still single and interestingly ‘not searching’ — as she was quoted to have said in a celebrity magazine recently,  Bimbo says marriage to her would come when it would. When it does come, Bimbo says she would prefer a ‘Mr Right’ who believes in the principle of marriage. Such a person must be a lover of kids and one who considers the marriage institution a vow between two persons.

Like acting? ‘Yes’, she snaps. ‘Acting is a vow I have taken and it doesn’t seem as if I would ever break that vow’.

Bimbo’s filmography

Owo Blow

The Gardener

Armadas

Diamond Ring

Back To Life

Eje Mi

Temi ni Tooto

Family Ties (Television)

Mind Bending (Television)

Keeping Faith

Die Hard

Hair dresser

Big Time Chicks

Night out (Girls for sale)

Widows

Cast away

REVIEW

BURNING WILL

Producer/Director – Teco Benson

Running Time: 2hrs

Starring   – Eucharia Anunobi, Okey Mc Anthony, Robert Peters, Jide Kosoko etc.

SAM Ebitime is murdered and Atama (Okey Mc Anthony), his brother who knew only at death that he was married to a twin – Jessica (Eucharia Anunobi-Ekwu) is led into an inheritance ploy. One thing led to another but Atama soon realises that the plan was to have him eliminated so that his brother’s properties can be coveted. Passably an action movie but with scads of chuckles scattered here and there, no thanks to Atama’s wittiness, Burning Will, a blast from the past is a touchingly poignant story that nearly hits all the right buttons. The movie with levels of across-the-board professionalism and with pictures that stayed bright and shining represents one of Teco’s peaks in his somewhat even resume. Except for one or two improbable scenarios (like how Atama who was tied hand and feet suddenly finds a knife to set himself free and also finds a pair of bathroom slippers to walk away with?), there was an effort to get all the little details right and; that’s one of the movies great strength. Its other strength is in Teco’s ability to pull the right cast and; they all gave a plausible performance.

It’s impossible not to appreciate this movie that belongs up there with the best of them. I am sure, however, you will wonder why Teco’s hospital was without attendants on the night that Sam Ebitime was murdered!!!

Filmdom Notice Board

Entry still open for Nigeria’s Oscars entry

THE Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee (NOSC) has called for feature film entries by Nollywood filmmakers into the 93rd Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. The Academy Awards recently opened entries to honour the best new films released globally, with the event set to hold on April 25, 2021. According to the NOSC, submissions will close on October 2, 2020. Nigeria’s first submission in 2019 represented a pivotal moment for the industry. Because of the global Covid-19 pandemic, which mandated the closure of commercial motion picture theatres worldwide until further notice, for the 93rd Academy Awards only, a country’s selected films that had a previously planned theatrical release but are initially made available through a reputable commercial streaming distribution service or video on demand may qualify for awards consideration in the International Feature category. On the new rules for award participation, due to guidelines and government-mandated rules to manage coronavirus spread, filmmakers have to provide to the Academy documentation (original document(s) and an English translation) of government-mandated theatre/cinema closure dates. Previously planned theatrical releases and streaming distribution or video on demand agreements. ‘‘Eligible films have to be made available on the secure Academy Screening Room member site within 60 days of the film’s official selection. Films that, in any version, receive a non-theatrical public exhibition or distribution before their first qualifying release will not be eligible for consideration,’’ she said. Filmmakers can submit their entries on the NOSC website.

Demand for release of jailed Sudanese filmmakers heightens

FILMMAKERS and film institutions from all over the world have continued their demand for the release of Sudanese filmmaker, Hajooj Kuka, best known for his 2014 award winning documentary  ‘Beats of the Antonov’. The Sudanese filmmaker, who is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, otherwise known as the Oscars, was sentenced to two months imprisonment and fined 5,000 Sudanese pounds ($90) last week for an offence the Sudanese authority said amounted to  ‘threatening peace’ and ‘breach of public safety’. Kuka who had on August 13 tweeted about an attack on him by Islamist instigators during a workshop in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, was arrested alongside four other artists: Abdelrahman Mohamed, Ayman Khalafallah, Ahmed El Sadig and Duaa Tarig. Kuka had tweeted: “the police stood by the attackers and arrested us. Now we are awaiting trial. Is there any support for #artists or do we need to get killed first?’’ However, local sources hinted that Sudanese authorities raided a cultural centre in the Al-Zuhour neighbourhood of the capital Khartoum, where several artists were rehearsing a play, after receiving a noise complaint from residents. Those found at the cultural centre including Kuka were arrested and imprisoned. Since their imprisonment, there have been several calls by the global film industry for their release. The hashtag #Freehajooj has taken over cyber space with several prominent filmmakers such as Nigeria’s Femi Odugbemi, Peace Anyiam Osigwe, Mykel Parish and ike Nnaebue joining the call for the release of the filmmakers.  Heads of international film festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Berlin International film festival have also issued a statement calling for their unconditional release. Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente of the TIFF had in a statement called for the release of the 44-year-old filmmaker who has had his two films —‘Beats of the Antonov’ and ‘aKasha’ presented at TIFF. ‘’When an artist is silenced, society as a whole suffers,’’ they wrote. Also, the statement from Berlin International Film Festival called for the unconditional release of the filmmakers. Part of the statement read ‘’the Berlin International Film Festival joins the international protest against the arrest of Sudanese filmmaker Hajooj Kuka and four other artists. The group of artists has been randomly charged with causing a public nuisance. We call for their immediate release by the Sudanese authorities.”

Filmdom… WORD BITES

 ‘’I have a lot of respect for these guys who have brought about that industry because they went out of their ways and created an industry. But where I defer with some of them is where the guys stop and say that this is the best they can do!  I say no to that. There is a whole lot more that we can do to get the industry back on the right footing and folks like us are prepared — time permitting though — to help in that direction’’

-Europe based Nigerian Born Filmmaker Newton Aduaka

’People regard the actors more than the directors, producers and marketers. For instance, government has given some actors national honours and left the directors including me that started Nollywood. Apart from this ‘Legend of Nollywood’ award, I have not been recognised for my efforts. They don’t even mention my name.  There was a time they called me up that the President wanted me included on the honours list but I never heard from them again. What I have observed is that they accord respect here to the actors than the directors and, it is wrong. The Auteur theory says it is the director that has the vision. I wonder why you talk about LIB and give awards to the actors and producer of LIB and you don’t talk about the person who helmed it. It is wrong and it is something they must correct’’.

Star Fad & Hobbies

The Actor Norbert Young

‘Actors never retire. Death retires them.  When I cannot do active acting any more, maybe I will begin to produce and focus more on producing, where I will sit down on the chair and direct people. But as long as I am still active, I will concentrate more on acting and teaching’-

–The actor Norbert Young

The Actress Doris Simeon-

‘’I like honesty. I like to have my peace and quiet. I don‘t like busy bodies who just come around you and act like your friends and at the end of the day they stab you in the back. That’s pretty much why I don’t have any close friends. My best friend is my husband and I am his best friend. As for favourite meals, I don’t have any favourite but I love Ogbono soup with semovita. That’s really cool. Lately my mother in-law introduced me to Owo soup. It’s a soup from Delta State and it’s very, very tasty. You go nearly chop your fingers’’

The Actor Sani Danja

‘’Talking about the pains and gains, the biggest challenge is that you don’t have a life of your own. You lose your privacy completely. Anything you do, people read meanings into them. People talk and say all kind of things and you wonder if it is you they are talking about. Then you have people calling you at odd hours wanting to meet you and pestering you. At the home front, there are people who expect that their breakfast, lunch and dinner will be on you. True, we are under tremendous pressure. Most times, people want us to live beyond our means’’.

MILESTONES &  ROUGH CUTS

 #FIXED- Release dates for three much-anticipated Nigerian films — ‘Oloture’ by Mo Abudu as directed by Kenneth Gyang, ‘Citation’ as produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan and ‘King of Boys II’ as produced and directed by Kemi Adetiba. The streaming giants Netflix announced recently that the films would be released as Netflix Original films. While ‘Oloture’ and ‘Citation’ have been scheduled for globally launch in October and November respectively, Adetiba’s  ‘King of Boys II, a sequel to her 2018 crime thriller ‘King of Boys’ will be launched globally in the first half of 2021.

#SCHEDULED– Dickson Iroegbu’s latest movie ‘The Good

‘HUSBAND’ is set for cinema release as from November 13, 2020. Produced and directed by the award-winning filmmaker, Dickson Iroegbu,  and distributed by Genesis Cinemas, the movie which explores the challenges that come with marriages. was originally scheduled for release on April 17 before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. It stars some of Nigeria‘s best and brightest movie exports such as Sam Dede, Monalisa Chinda, Francis Duru, Thelma Okoduwa-Ojiji, Paul Sambo and Bassey Ekpo Bassey.