ALTHOUGH not as regular on our screens as those years of yore when she will feature in almost eight of every ten movies produced and released in Nollywood, Chioma Chukwukah-Akpotha is still as relevant to the industry as butter is to bread. When some fans almost concluded that she has taken a backseat in Nollywood, Chioma Franklin Akpotha better known today by her maiden name-Chioma Chukwuka showed up in Funke Akindele’s box office hit ‘Omo Ghetto’. Chioma played one of the leading roles in the movie that is reputed as the one of the highest grossing Nollywood movies at the cinemas. Chioma put up a high wire performance in ‘Omo Ghetto’ that got her fans all excited and hoping that she has returned to claim her regular spot in filmdom.

A recipient of the best actress award of the 2007 edition of the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA), an award she earned for her deep runs in the urban telling ‘Sins of the Flesh’, nothing in Chioma’s wildest imagination could suggest that the journey into the filmdom, which she began over two and half years ago would transform into her becoming a regular visitor in most home. Though she revealed that she grew up with a healthy appetite for movies and movie stars and had exhibited a flair for acting and singing whilst growing up, Chioma never gave a thought to her taking to acting as a profession. But today acting has become something of a full time job for the Oraifite, Anambra state native who is well married to Mr. Franklin Akpotha. Chioma has so far cut a swath among the industry’s recognizable faces and she is ranked amongst the most sought after actress in filmdom.

Chioma’s debut as an actress was in ‘Apple’ as directed by Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen. From ‘Apple’, producers sought Chioma out and the rest as they say is history.

An old girl of Federal Government Girls College Onitsha and an alumnus of the Lagos State University (LASU) where she studied Banking and Finance, Chioma has so far featured in well over 150 flicks with a dozen others still at various stages of post-production. Movies in her credit pouch include ‘Sunrise’, ‘Handkerchief’, ‘Disguise’, ‘Last Offer’, ‘Twisted’, ‘Final Clash’, ‘Handsome’, ‘Substitute’, ‘Foul Play’ ‘Legacy’ ‘Lustful’, ‘Hearts on Fire’ and ‘Azima’ among many others.

********

REVIEW

Title– Family Battle

Producer– Donald Okoli/Izu Okeke

Director- Lancelot Oduwa Imaseun

Actors- Kanayo Kanayo, Emeka Enyiocha, Lancelot Imasuen and others

THIS two part movie with the signature of the one who is called ‘De Guvnor’ Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen is a straight take on the over flogged issue of inheritance. But this is differently told. It’s the story of Daniel (Kanayo Kanayo) who though unaware that he was only an adopted child (and not the heir apparent as he thought), laid claim until the point where he is brought to his knees, to the estate of the late Festus Igwe. He would not even allow his other siblings (who are the authorized beneficiaries of Igwe’s estate) a share of the estate. He engaged all of them, particularly Henry (Emeka Enyiocha) in a battle of wits. He however falls like a pack of cards when it was revealed at a point in the flick that he was only an adopted child. 

This was well told. The good cast, which the play pulled, contributed in making it so. There was an effort here to drop off something gripping. Lancelot Imaseun found his popular role here again. He played a Pentecostal pastor and he played it better than he did in a previous flick. But he (lancelot) would have during postproduction kept Hilda’s eyes, off some of those horrendous moments between Daniel and the man of God. Hilda’s reaction, which was the role Eucharia Anunobi played at the time Daniel levitated, was to say the least cheap.

*******

Filmdom Noticeboard

‘‘OSS 117, Alerte rouge en Afrique noire is closing film for 74^th Cannes International Film Festival 

 ‘OSS 117, Alerte rouge en Afrique noire (From Africa With Love), the film by Nicolas Bedos, will be shown at the “Final Screening” of the 74^th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival on July 17th in the Grand Théâtre Lumière at the Awards Ceremony. However, the Festival de Cannes will open on Tuesday, 6 July with Leos Carax’s film Annette. The Awards will be announced on Saturday, 17 July by the Jury, which will be presided over by the American filmmaker Spike Lee. Other members of the jury include Director Mati Diop (France, Senegal), Singer Mylene Farmer (Canada, France) and Maggie Gylenhaal, an actress, producer, screenwriter, and director from Etats-Unis.

******

Obi Emelonye resting after Badamasi premiere in London

FILMMAKER Obi Emelonye sent a message to a film whatsapp group to say that he was resting after the successful premiere of ‘Badamasi: Portrait of a General’, a biopic on former President Ibrahim Babangida. The movie premiered exclusively on June 12, 2021 at Cineworld, O2 Arena, London, UK. Directed by Obi Emelonye, best known for directing blockbusters such as ‘Last Flight to Abuja’, ‘Mirror Boy’ and ‘Oxford Gardens’, Badamasi: Portrait of a General, has become the most-anticipated film in Nollywood in recent times, owing to its subject, General Babangida, former military President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and unarguably one of the most controversial personalities in Nigeria’s socio-political history since Independence. Starring top Nollywood actors such as Enyinna Nwigwe, Yakubu Mohammed, Julius Agwu, Charles Inojie, Kalu Ikeagwu, Okey Bakassi, Anthony Monjaro and Ali Nuhu amongst others, the intense military dramatic action is set mainly in 1980s/1990s Nigeria and brings to the fore some of the most remarkable events that have shaped Nigeria’s political and historical landscape, as seen through the eyes of some principal characters who overtly participated in these epochal events. Speaking about the premiere of the movie which went into production in 2017, Obi Emelonye says: “This premiere emerged from that ‘yes, we can’ mind-set. And just like I did with ‘The Mirror Boy’ and ‘Last Flight to Abuja’, I am happy with the turn out and reactions’’.

*******

Submission deadline extended for Universal Movie Awards

THE deadline for the submission of films for the maiden edition of the Universal Movie Awards has been extended to July 5 from the earlier date of June 30. President and founder of the award event Hope Obioma Opara disclosed that the extension was necessary to allow filmmakers from all over the world submit entries.  Filmmakers are to submit their Films and TV commercials to 

Universal Movie Awards using the filmfreeway link: https://filmfreeway.com/UNIVERSALMOVIEAWARDS. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in September and awards will be given in about 28 categories including Best Picture, Best Actor Male, Best Actor Female, Best Director, Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best Action Short Film, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Nigerian Indigenous Film, Best Cast Director, Best Child Actor Female, Best Child Actor Male and Legend Award of the year.

********

Filmdom WORD BITES:

“APART from the fact that I am an actor, I am also a writer and am particularly quite adventurous. So for me, it was a way of getting to be familiar with film festivals and what happens at other films festivals. The only one I have attended is Sithengi in South Africa and that was some years back. I decided that I am going to attend as many festivals as I can, if I want to improve myself, criticize myself as an actor and as a writer and see what kind of marriages, artistic marriages that is, that I can consummate. I have been talking to people, and people have been talking to me too. I met this Turkish director who wants us to talk and funny enough, I have been meeting so many Nigerian filmmakers whom I have not had the chance of meeting back home. I mean it was here that I met Kunle Afolayan, Mr. Femi Odugbemi and even Mr. Afolabi Adesanya of the Film Corporation. I know them as practitioners but we never met. So this is part of what you gain when you come to a festival. You network and meet people.

– Actress Nse Ikpe-Etim on gains of attending film festivals

*******

“I STARTED out as a runway model and then graduated into coaching models. All these I did in my University days. Then I branched into photo Modeling and did quite some impressive adverts for some notable brands. It was at the time I was getting bored with modeling that I met the respected film producer and director Jeta Amata. We became close friends and it was Jeta that ticked off my interest in acting, to cut it short he gave me my first movie role and from then on it felt like this was where I belonged and there was no stopping me. So I joined in and I have been privileged to work with a number of other leading directors and producers like Lancelot Imasuen, Fred Amata, Ruke Amata, Ikechukwu Onyeka, Osita Afamefule and with producers like Jeta Amata, Zik Zulu, Alicia Arce of the BBC, Egor Efiok and Ansa Kpokpogri.

–Notable Nollywood actor Eyinna Nwigwe in an earlier interview on how he started out.  

********

Star Fad & Hobbies

The Film Producer Keke Bongos Ikwe –

“A LOT of them and I think it tends to depend on the time and depends on what is going on around.  Of course the song in my head right now is You Can’t Hurry the Sunrise and that is because of the film-Inale. At some point when we were shooting it was Wolu Wolu, which is one of his new songs and that was also because of the work we were doing with it.  I like Still Searching but it is everybody’s song and probably why I have not picked it as one of my favourite songs. I love all his songs but those two right now will be it because of the effect it has had on my own life and in the film Inale. So I will pick Wolu Wolu and You Can’t Hurry the Sunrise’’

*******

The Filmmaker Jeta Amata-

 ‘This is my life. Nothing gives me joy like when I am working on a production. So I have no regret. This has been good and I pray it gets better so that people can get the reward for their labour’.

*******

 #Milestones & Rough cuts

TIME FOR DFM 2021- ‘Disrupt! The Shape of Stories to Come’ is theme of DFM 2021 which kicks off virtually in July.  Under the theme, ‘Disrupt! The shape of stories to come’, the 12th edition of the DFM takes place from 16 – 25 July 2021. Building on the success of the first all-digital market last year, the 12th Durban FilmMart will look to unpack the disruption that the film industry has had to navigate while celebrating the unique opportunities it has presented,” explains Magdalene Reddy, acting General Manager of the Durban FilmMart Institute. This year’s edition of the DFM will feature a Pitch Forum. Scheduled for 16 to19 July, the pitch forum brings together financiers, funders, investors, and programmers with 70 African projects in development. These include the DFM documentary and fiction projects, participants of the Talents Durban programme in partnership with Berlinale Talents, and a spotlight on selected projects from Lusophone Africa in partnership with the International Emerging Film Talent Association. Also, this year’s Industry programme sees the introduction of new focus areas as well as the return of the successful DFM in Conversation, Durban Does Docs, Engage and Talent Filmmaker Talks. Nigeria’s notable filmmaker Kenneth Gyang is participating in the Talent Filmmaker Talks. Talents Filmmaker Talks invites a range of directors from the continent to highlight their storytelling journeys through the various forms of fiction, and documentary. 

********

#SUBMISSION FOR AMAA 2021 STILL OPEN: Submission for the 2021 edition of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) opened on April 1, 2021 and will end on July 30, 2021.  The AMAA was founded in 2006 to celebrate creativity and encourage professionalism. The primary objective of the AMAA Awards is to honour, celebrate, promote and reward the creativity, quality and excellence of talents of African origin across the globe. The organisers have announced that the 17th edition of the AMAA will take place in November 2021. All AMAA winners are presented with the “AMA” crest, which means beautiful lady, but which also translates to road, the essence of the beautiful woman is the embodiment motherhood that brings forth the human being, it shows the residence of creativity within our community.