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freelanews-blog · 5 years ago

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AMAA Gala night holds in Enugu

The 2019 Africa Film Academy Workshop held on Thursday at the Lift Hall, Enugu with an attendance of over five hundred participants. The workshop achieved its aim which is to create a paradigm shift in the African film industry. With veterans like Patience Ozokwor (Mama G), the Aneke Twins, Ofiafuluagwu Mbaka , Steve Ebo Afam Okereke alongside rising stars from the various sectors of the industry, the well-attended workshop focused on key industry specialist areas that professionals should focus on to boost professionalism and increase investment. Different facilitators at the workshop offered subject-matter expert view to enhance creative output of the industry in general and professional credibility of practitioners from the ropes of movie-making, to the value chains of funding and distribution. While speaking on thriving in the film business, and indeed any other business, Jim Jermanok, an award- winning writer, director, producer, author and speaker based in New York whose film “Em” won the Grand Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Criterion International Inspiration Award opined that to stop learning is to stop living, "for life is a class and we all are students." He further asserted that, "to be successful is to call persistence to service. Don’t stop going when the going gets tough." The representative of BVA Consultancy spoke on the issue of financial literacy and how to access funds from the Bank of Industry for films and other creative endeavours. While he stressed the need for financial prudence, he also put attendees through the process of obtaining loans from credible financial institutions while bearing thier creativity in mind. Martin Gbados, the producer of the award-winning film, ‘Solider Story’ was also present, he spoke to the students about distribution and contracts. While he emphasized the legality of a contract, he went into the heartaches that can be avoided when a contract is in place. He particularly applauded the adoption of digital distribution channels, which have been on the increase. The Enugu state commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Rita Mba, was in attendance as well as 200 participants sponsored by the Enugu State Government. The sponsorship was to the tune of N2million with additional funding from the Osigwe Anyiam Osigwe foundation. The speakers at the workshop promised to offer continued support to participants of the workshop and the organizers as well. The workshop also received the green light from some Honourables who promised to further the cause. With the participants staying for about nine hours, the Africa Film Academy Workshop was intriguing as well as engaging. During the Gala night which held on Friday, 24th May, 2019, the Africa Film Academy Award’s founder, Ms Peace Anyiam Osigwe, spoke about the need for the filmmakers from the South East and South South to improve the quality of their films that they should look at quality rather than quantity .She hoped that soon a film from here could go to Cannes, Berlin , or Toronto and win best Film at AMAA . Patience Ozokwo one of the celebrants of the Gala commented on the role AMAA has played in her career, Enugu, Nigeria and Africa as whole. She added that AMAA gave her the opportunity to give back to an industry that is the life work of several people. She spoke about an experience with AMAA where she had an opportunity of flying more than 20 people outside of Nigeria to South Africa—an honour she didn’t take for granted. The Gala night had a lot of surprises with Africa Film Academy and Ethiopia Airline partnering to fly out Patience Ozokwor to Dallas, for an event. Ethiopian Airlines gave gifts the stars Ken Erics Ugo, Rachael Okonkwo, the Aneke twins, Nnaemeka Charles Eze (Nani Boy). Hon. Barr. Chima Obieze, Don. Sylvester Chinedu Nwaeke and Chief Kenneth Anike, received the Africa Film Academy special recognition for support to film industry. Inducted in to the Africa Film Academy Gold Patrons Club were: Hon Amos Oshi who is building a film village in Enugu and has been supporting film makers in Nigeria and Chief Alexander Chukwudimma Nwokeabia. HRH Igwe Edwin Edeoga was also inducted into the Africa Film Academy platinum Patrons Club. The Speaker Enugu House of Representatives, Edward Ubosi, was inducted into the Platinum Patrons Club. The club is a membership to individuals who support the advancement of the work of the Africa Film Academy programmes in Africa cinema, especially training and canvassing the inclusion of African cinema for all. Jim Jermanok spoke on the workshop, hailing the organizers. He affirmed that the Nigerian film industry has a lot of untapped potentials and that with the knowledge gained from the workshop, participants will be charged up to be better filmmakers. He took time out to appreciate the hospitality of the organizers and indeed the good people of Enugu. He confessed that the nation is indeed one that is blessed with good people. He also admitted that he had the best of mouth watering meals. Finally, the Speaker Enugu State House of Representatives, Edward Ubosi, accented to look into the plea and request of the from South East Filmmakers on Building a film village in Enugu, which will not only put Enugu on the creative map but also create a value chain of opportunities in the creative and entertainment industry.

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nataliej-animation · 6 years ago

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Great Women Animators (Additional)

http://greatwomenanimators.com/

So I was searching again for women in animation, and I came across this website. It is so amazing to see a huge list of female animators. I don’t know why I haven’t come across this website before! Not only does it show you the name of the animator and where she comes from, but also the animation she specialises in and giving examples of her work or links to her website/portfolio.

The irony here is, I’M FINDING BLACK WOMEN!!! Not even on purpose, but accidentally.

Ebele Okoye

Ebele Okoye is a German 2D animation film maker of Nigerian descent based in Berlin. After a Design-study stint at the University of Applied Sciences Duesseldorf, and a traineeship at the West German Broadcasting Corporation, WDR, Ebele Okoye furthered in Animation at the International Film School Cologne . Upon graduation in 2004, she worked as a studio animator before going independent with own films as well heading international Co-productions one of which is “Anna Blume” winner of the 2007 Robert Bosch Foundation Promotional Prize for Animation. Also a two time winner of the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in the category Animation, Ebele does a lot of mentoring for young Animators and animation enthusiasts from the sub Saharan African region. Aside running the Facebook group and online community “The Animation Club Africa”, she is the founder and co-ordinator of Shrinkfish Media Lab (smedLAB), a very young audiovisual training initiative focusing on young artistic talents in the West African region.

Jessica Ashman

Jessica Ashman is a BAFTA in Scotland award winning animator, artist and arts educator. In 2014 she graduated from the Royal College of Art with a MA in Animation and her work has been supported by Animate Projects, Jerwood Visual Arts Bursary, Arts Council England, UK Film Council and Channel 4’s Random Acts. Jessica’s films have been exhibited in over 60 film festivals internationally, including The Edinburgh International Film Festival, London Short Film Festival and Encounters Short Film Festival. Jessica has also been selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus, Edinburgh International Film Festival Talent Lab and B3 Media’s Talent Lab. As well as creating moving image work, Jessica also engages in arts education, teaching her practice at Goldsmiths, The University for the Creative Arts, University of Hertfordshire and Arts University Bournemouth, as well as running arts workshops for the ICA, Tate Modern and the Wellcome Trust. Commercially as a director, Jessica has created content for clients such as the Sky One, BBC, Channel 4, Asda and Heart FM.

Marjane Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi (born 22 November 1969) is an Iranian-born French graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. atrapi became famous worldwide because of her critically acclaimed autobiographical graphic novels, originally published in French in four parts in 2000–2003 and in English translation in two parts in 2003 and 2004, respectively, as Persepolis and Persepolis 2, which describe her childhood in Iran and her adolescence in Europe. Persepolis won the Angoulême Coup de Coeur Awardat the Angoulême International Comics Festival. In 2013, Chicago schools were ordered by the district to remove Persepolis from classrooms because of the work's graphic language and violence. This incited protests and controversy. Her later publication, Embroideries (Broderies), was also nominated for the Angoulême Album of the Year award in 2003, an award that her novel Chicken with Plums (Poulet aux prunes) won. She has also contributed to the Op-Ed section of The New York Times. Comics Alliance listed Satrapi as one of 12 women cartoonists deserving of lifetime achievement recognition. Satrapi prefers the term "comic books" to "graphic novels."[15] "People are so afraid to say the word 'comic'," she told the Guardian newspaper in 2011. "It makes you think of a grown man with pimples, a ponytail and a big belly. Change it to 'graphic novel' and that disappears. No: it's all comics."

The Brumberg Sisters

(Not women of colour, but I thought they’d be interesting to add)

Valentina and Zinaida Brumberg, Jewish sisters who became known as the “Grandmothers of Soviet Animation” for their contribution to the field of animated fairy tales within the Soviet Animation studio Soyutzmultfilm. Died age 76 and 82

Michelle Kranot

Beginning their career in animation, Michelle and Uri Kranots’ work has expanded beyond the traditional: their art straddles experimental genres and unfamiliar mediums, fusing handmade crafted images and new technologies into contemporary experiences. Their current work continues to test the frontiers of immersive art and moving images. The Kranots are the founders of TinDrum, an animation production company and the producers and creative directors of ANIDOX, focused on development and production of animated documentaries. Part of The Animation Workshop in Viborg Denmark, where they hold various key positions. The Kranots first gained recognition with films such as Black Tape, Hollow Land, How Long, Not Long and most recently, the VR film installation Nothing Happens . They have been honored with the top industry awards for their work, including the Fipresci Prize at Annecy International Animation Film Festival, The Oscar® Academy Award Shortlist and the Danish Statens Kunstfond award for the performing arts. In recent years, the Kranot have focused on collaborative projects using cross-media innovations to enhance emotional human storytelling, exposing the depth and beauty in the things – physical and intangible – that connect us all. Originally from Israel, Michelle and Uri live in Viborg where they are raising their three sons.

Makiko Futaki

Makiko Futaki (June 19, 1958 – May 13, 2016) was a Japanese animator best known for her work at Studio Ghibli for more than thirty years. Futaki, who joined Studio Ghibli in 1981, worked on all of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated feature films, beginning with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984. Her best known Studio Ghibli’s productions include My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). Her last film credit was Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s When Marnie Was There (2014), which is Studio Ghibli’s final feature film to date. In 1981, Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founders of Studio Ghibli, hired her to work on their film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1981), which began her thirty-year relationship with the studio as a freelance animator. Makiko Futaki died from an unspecified illness at a hospital in Tokyo on May 13, 2016, at the age of 57.

Jane Cheadle

Jane Cheadle was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. She studied Philosophy at the University of Cape Town and Animation at the Royal College or Art. She lives and works in London.

Regina Pessoa

Regina Maria Póvoa Pessoa Martins (born 16 December 1969) is a Portuguese animator. She graduated in painting from University of Porto in 1998 and during her time as a student took part in different animation workshops, having participated in Espace Projets (Annecy, 1995) with the short A Noite, which she would finish in 1999. In 1992 she started working in Filmógrafo - Estúdio de Cinema de Animação do Porto, where she collaborated as animator in various films. Her short Tragic Story with Happy Ending is the most awarded Portuguese film ever. Her short animated film, "Kali, the Little Vampire" was awarded the Hiroshima prize at the 2012 Hiroshima international animation festival, the "1st Prize Animated Short Film – CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL 2013", "The Golden Gate Award for Best Animation Short - 56th SAN FRANCISCO INT. FILM FESTIVAL 2013", "40TH Annie Awards Nomination in the Best Animated Short Subject Category 2013", Nomination for the Cartoon d’Or 2013.

#dairyofanintern

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newssplashy · 6 years ago

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"I am unable to write this when he [Afolayan] dies because I may not be alive. So here is my tribute to him, to read when he is still alive" - Onyeka Nwelue.

Onyeka Nwelue, a Nigerian writer and filmmaker, has written an ode to his greatest inspiration in filmmaking, Kunle Afolayan.

Popular for "The House of Nwapa," "The Abyssinian Boy," and "Hip-Hop is Only for Children," the research fellow at Center for International Studies at Ohio University writes about Afolayan's influence in his career.

Read Nwelue's letter to Afolayan below:

As the Africa Film Trinidad & Tobago opens tomorrow, my first fictional Igbo Language feature film, "Agwaetiti Obiuto," will screen on the 24in Port of Spain. I was there last year as well where my documentary film, "The House of Nwapa," which was nominated in the Best Documentary Category of the 2017 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) was screened, and during the Q&A, I promised them I would return to the island with a new film. That is what I am doing now. A promise kept.

But, there is one person who remains my biggest inspiration in filmmaking, even as this new film has been compared to the works of Spike Lee (Toyin Akinosho), Luc Godard (Chigozie Obioma) and Ousmane Sembene (Sikhumbuzo Mngadi).

I am humbled by these comparisons, but the Nigerian film director, Kunle Afolayan, remains my greatest inspiration when it comes to filmmaking. And I will tell you why.

As a young man struggling with the dream of telling stories, I saw "Irapada," but the film that stole my heart was "The Figurine." I became slightly obsessed with Kunle Afolayan.

If he knew how obsessed I was with him and his work, he didn’t show it. He was very accommodating and charismatic with me because I began to find excuses to be around him. I reached out to him and he was what I thought he was: a great guy.

I attended the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Yenagoa where "The Figurine" won largely and the intensity of the obsession, admiration and respect grew. I began to see myself as Kunle Afolayan.

This made me stay on the set of "Phone Swap" for hours after being diagnosed of Ectopic Kidney – with swollen face and swollen legs, coupled with all the weaknesses, I kept following Kunle and his success. I wanted to be successful.

When Kunle’s success became infectious, I wanted to achieve a dream: make a film. I had the script for 'The Distant Light.' I was able to convince a benefactor who bought flight tickets for a film crew from The Netherlands who came to Nigeria to film with me.

I took them to pay a visit to Mr. Afolayan. He encouraged me and told me that nothing was impossible, but he was also realistic that there were better cinematographers in Nigeria I could have contracted.

“That money used in flying them could have been used to get things going”, he said.

I was young, it didn’t make sense to me. I thought the more White or more European, the better. I was a fool. I took my crew from Lagos to Oguta and the project failed. It didn’t happen. The folks went back to Europe and we severed our relationship. They needed to do storyboards and they drank a lot of beer and one of them ate kola nuts, and ended up in the hospital. We spent two weeks doing nothing. Money burnt and a dream waned. I slumped into depression for months.

That year, I was persistent enough and I got admission to study Film Directing at Prague Film School in Czech Republic. Someone was behind it. I travelled to Prague. I made my first short film, "The Beginning of Everything Colourful."

It was shot in Paris and stared British actor and model, Dudley O’Shaughnessy, who is famous for appearing in Rihanna’s We Found Love video. I was later to invite him to Nigeria. I began to think of myself as a filmmaker.

Kunle Afolayan’s energy is infectious. For many people, he is not easy to love. I understand why. We are easily threatened by people with lots of guts and people who do things differently. Personally, there is nothing I want from Mr. Afolayan with this article.

I would have written this to praise Tunde Kelani, the man I consider the Father of Modern Nigerian Cinema, but there are qualities that Mr. Afolayan possesses that no filmmaker in Nigeria does.

Mr. Afolayan is creative and then, he is also business-savvy. He understands the aesthetics of filmmaking and in a country like Nigeria where creativity does not bring in money, he has been able to build a legion of business networks, making filmmaking look glamorous and alluring. Strangely, when I didn’t win at the AMAAs and I had rushed to greet him, he said something: “Make a better film.”

Last time I saw Mr. Afolayan, was in Paris, while I was on transit to Boston. I was confined in a wheelchair at the airport and he was flying to Los Angeles with other Nollywood greats like Dakore Akande, and he came over to me, tapped me on the head and said: “You’re always sick.” And we laughed.

If Afolayan understands that my admiration for him stems from the fact that he is hardworking, he must know that he has inspired generations.

People have complained about the quality of storytelling in his recent films, but has he promoted them well? Yes. Did we watch them? Yes. So, he has achieved two things: (1) Got us to watch the films and (2) Discuss them.

Let’s even talk about "October 1," which he had humbly asked me to read the screenplay before it was shot and when the film was made, I reviewed it after seeing it, and people had said how I was ass-kissing.

You don’t kiss the ass of Kunle Afolayan. It does not pay. He does not pander to people’s sensibility. I wouldn’t want to talk about the effect the marketing of his film, "The CEO," had on me. Let me skip it.

I haven’t dedicated my film, "Agwaetiti Obiuto" to Kunle Afolayan, but I am writing this to say how much he has inspired me.

I am also happy to mention how Ishaya Bako has been a back bone and a huge inspiration to my budding career as a filmmaker. Ishaya saw an Igbo film without subtitles! Who takes such pain? And made delicate notes that shaped my narrative. The film I see now, gladdens my heart. It can never be perfect, but what I went out to achieve, was achieved.

At the end, I will continue to admire and respect Kunle Afolayan for being a huge inspiration to me. I am unable to write this when he dies because I may not be alive. So here is my tribute to him, to read when he is still alive, to know how much I love and respect him.

Chineke gozie gi!

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#IFTTT #NewsSplashy | Latest Nigerian News #Ghana News #News #Entertainment #World News #sports #Naij In a

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samludas · 7 years ago

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AMAA 2017 Winners: Full List of Winners

We present to you the AMAA 2017 Winners. Here’s the full list of the 2017 African Movie Academy Award winners.

The event was hosted by award winning actress, Nse Ikpe Etim who dazzled the audience with her hosting abilities.

Winners include Akin Omotoso, who won the best director award, Nkem Owoh who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, “76” which won the Lagos State Best Nigerian film award.

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#AMAA 2017 #awards

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jimivaey · 8 years ago

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Watch the trailer for C. J. Obasi’s crime thriller, ‘O-Town’ starring Kalu Ikeagwu

Kalu Ikeagwu and Pat Utomi star in this crime thriller, O-Town, written and directed by C. J. Obasi.

O-Town has already won two awards; an AMAA Achievement in Soundtrack win and another for Best Director at the Lake City International Film Festival, both in 2016.

‘The film is set in a lightly fictionalized version of Owerri ruled over by a sadistic gangster,’ said Ikeagwu who plays The Chairman.

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ayodapo · 8 years ago

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NOLLYWOOD IS COMING TO LONDON

Darimedia Inc launches London Nollywood Film Festival (LNFF) which is devoted to celebrating Nigerian culture, heritage & people on screen. It is a unique opportunity to bring together multiracial audience across London to come and enjoy ‘neo’ Nollywood movies with improved production value, very well scripted storylines producing movies of international affirmation.

London has the largest population of Nigerians in the United Kingdom. The launch this year is taking place at ‘the country’s funkiest cinema’ Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square London on the 15th of May 2017. The Arbitration movie was in final selection for Africa International Film Festival (AFRIF) 2016 in Nigeria. Niyi Akinmolayan the director of the movie has also had another of his film make final selection for Best Nigerian Movie at the prestigious 12th African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) 2016 also in Nigeria.

This festival is aimed at boosting cinema attendance of Black audiences across the capital by showing Nigerian movies at exquisite and elegant cinemas in the heart of the city of London. The festival will also create opportunities for filmmakers in producing, marketing and distributing films whilst championing the growth of Nollywood outside of Nigeria. London Nollywood Film Festival will run a regular special programme tagged ‘Nollywood Screening’ with the sole aim of showing ‘new’ Nollywood movies at selected cinemas. The programme will help create a platform for filmmakers to expose and promote their movies for audiences as well as industry professionals. This is one of the many long term goals of the festival in fostering a distribution model that sees Nollywood movies being screened at major cities in the country. The core objective is to screen quality films that will entertain but equally inform and educate the viewing audience, to this end we will ensure that our films will be projected primarily in film & digital cinema (DCP), as stated in the festival website where we have a quality specification section which all our films must adhere to in order to qualify for the festival exhibition and distribution models.

The festival is also supported by the National Film & Television School an award winning and prestigious film school of international repute and Nollywood Movies a movie TV station on the Sky platform broadcasting Nollywood films.

“The Arbitration is not your run-of-the-mill Nollywood movie; it offers a scripted storyline with intelligent dialogue that audiences will find deeply engaging” – Yemi Daramola CEO of Darimedia Inc. & founder of London Nollywood film Festival.

Yemi aims to create a mainstream platform for Nollywood movies to be routinely showcased at prestigious cinemas in London – one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse cities in the world.

For More Information

Email | [email protected] Festival Website | http://lonnollyfilmfest.com/screening-schedule.html

Date: Monday 15th May 2017 | Time: 6pm-8:30pm | Venue: Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square. London

Movie Title: The Arbitration | Movie Trailer: http://bit.ly/2nqNeiv

LNFF Ticket Booking Page: http://bit.ly/2oRXLkc

Movie Synopsis

The Arbitration is this year’s selection for the launch of London Nollywood Film Festival 2017 which explores the emotional effects of a work place affair between two geniuses Gbenga, founder of Iwaju Limited and Dara his right hand woman – who successfully built the business from an idea into the empire it is. The court trial referred the case to an arbitration panel to find out the truth. The key question here is who’s telling the truth?

Directed By: Niyi Akinmolayan | Written By: Chinaza Onuzo | Produced By: Chinaza Onuzo, Omotayo Adeola, Zulu Onuekwusi

Boilerplate

Yemi Daramola is a Post Graduate Degree holder in Creative Media Practice. He is currently building on his academic career as well as professional & industry knowledge with an expected MA in Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition in Film, TV & Games at the prestigious and award winning National Film & Television School (NFTS) Yemi is determined to help m

New festival Launches in London to Showcase the Best Nigerian Filmmaking Talent, Opens with The Arbitration NOLLYWOOD IS COMING TO LONDON Darimedia Inc launches London Nollywood Film Festival (LNFF) which is devoted to celebrating Nigerian culture, heritage & people on screen.

#Adesua Etomi #London Nollywood Film Festival #O C Ukeje #The Arbitration #Yemi Daramola

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