Creativity party for Nollywood… loud in Germany
Source; Guardian News 10709714 http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/features/227-art
POPULAR Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwo will headline the Nollywood Film Festival, which will open tomorrow in Frankfurt, Germany. The festival runs till September 14.
Ozokwo who is best known as Mama Gee by her teaming fans will lead a band of popular actors and musical artiste including the equally popular Nollywood actor, Osita Iheme (a.k.a) Paw Paw, the comic actor and Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Victor Osuagwu and the pop singer Olamide Adedeji to light up the festival that is the brain child of Europe based Ehizoya Golden Entertainment.
The Frankfurt, Germany based entertainment company is run by the Nigeria-born entertainment entrepreneur who is widely regarded as ‘Nigeria’s cultural and entertainment ambassador’ to Europe, Isaac Izoya.
The Edo-born award winning show promoter, actor and film producer (Final Solution, Sinners in the House, Zero Your mind, Home and Abroad, Love in Berlin among others), who is not new to cultural promotion in Europe and who has single handedly staged a number of shows, produced a couple of cross cultural movies and taken a large number of top Nollywood celebrities including Patience Ozokwo, Ngozi Ezeonu, Jim Iyke, John Okafor and Mercy Johnson on a tour of Europe will be at the head of what is promoted as a creativity party that aims at celebrating Nollywood that has been universally recognized as having become part of the popular African culture.
Izoya, who is delighted that the dream of showcasing the best of Nollywood to the eager German fans has finally been realized, explained that the decision to showcase the best of the Nigerian film in Frankfurt am Main at the Nollywood Film Festival Germany is based on the interest shown by Germans and Europeans to watch classic Nollywood films on the big screen for the first time.
The other reason Izoya gave for hosting the festival is that it will afford the practitioners of Nollywood some of whom have been invited as guests of the festival, the opportunity to interact with their European counterpart and that way stimulate networking and cooperation.
Although Izoya acknowledged that the Nigerian film industry has transcended national and continental borders and it is reckoned with in countries like America, Australia, United Kingdom, Italy, France and Spain, he argued that the Nollywood industry is still largely unknown to millions of Germans and Europeans hence a festival that will engineer much needed platform for networking. Besides, he noted that the festival also aims at fostering international trading and exchange opportunities in what he described as the ‘largely untapped market’.
According to Izoya, “we want to use the platform of the festival to create an opportunity for Nigerian directors, actors, film distributors, producers and journalists to interact with their Europe counterparts about the nature and future of Nollywood and the movie industry generally. It will be both a pedagogic and stimulating platform for intercultural dialogue and international exposure.’’
Scheduled to hold at Hessen’s Filmforun Höchst VHS, Frankfurt, Germany, the four-day festival as Izoya also explained, will be held in partnership with Hessen State’s Filmforun Höchst and with support coming from other institutions in Europe and Nigeria including the Office for Multicultural Affairs (AMKA – Germany), Nigerian Association Rhein/Main Area, Frankfurt, Germany, Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Nollywood Radio France and Nollywood Spotlight – Houston, Texas, USA.
“The news of the festival is everywhere. The build up has been on – every one, Africans and their European friends alike are talking about it. Nigeria will be on the spotlight for four days here in Germany that has played a major role in giving comfort and pleasure for the visiting stars from Nigeria and Ghana. I always describe Germany as home away from home by most of the Nollywood stars who have visited Germany through our organization – the Ehizoya Golden Entertainment,’’ Izoya remarked.
Giving details of the festival which is expected to attract African diplomats, politicians, film-makers, Nollywood stake-holders and Nollywood cross-border fans, Izoya stated that the festival will feature screening of two feature length films daily, an opening night cocktail to be attended by Nollywood directors, actors as well as their German and European counterparts, and an African movie premiere. Although Izoya listed a couple of films that will have their world premiere on the festival ground, the one that moviegoers are eager to see is ‘Fortunes Card’ which Ehizoya Golden Entertainment produced. It features Mercy Johnson, Benedict Johnson, Charles Inojie and Isaac Izoya in lead roles and it was shot on location in Berlin, Frankfurt, Athens, Bremen and Lagos.
The festival will climax with the Nollywood E-Golden Awards where some selected Nollywood practitioners who according to Izoya “have played important roles in making Nollywood what it has become today” will be honoured. Those to be honoured include Osita Iheme, Patience Ozokwo, Fred Amata, Olu Jacobs and Kenneth Nnebue. There will be a special tribute segment dedicated to the celebration of Patience Ozokwo.
Izoya disclosed also that an A-list stand-up comedian, cultural dancers and Nigerian Hip Hop live performances featuring Mekxo aka Judi Master and Me-Razor would headline the award event. Also to be held as part of the four days festival is a colloquium on African Films and a talent hunt
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