Tuesday 7 August 2012

OUR RICH DIVERSITY: A Celebratio​n of Nigerian Filmmaking

Bank of Industry & Nigeria Olympic Committee in collaboration with Lufodo Productions presents Nigeria Film festival celebrating 20 years of Nolloywood coming on August 7 & 8, 2012 at Nigeria House, Theatre Royal Stratford East, London.It has been 20 years since the release of Kenneth Nnebue's seminal and hugely influential film Living in Bondage.
Nigerians have been making movies for at least three decades, with the works of pioneering directors of the 1970s and 1980s like Ola Balogun, Eddie Ugbomah and Hubert Ogunde, to show.
There is no doubt that Living in Bondage and other movies shot quickly and less expensively on video, heralded a new era for Nigerian movies. It is no longer news that in the past two decades, there has been exponential growth in both production of Nigerian movies and audiences for those movies. Nollywood, as the Nigerian film industry is popularly called, has become a globally recognised phenomenon. As technology advances and a new generation of filmmakers emerges, Nollywood is set for a future in which more sophisticated production values, more efficient distribution channels and above all, more innovative storytelling become the standard.

OUR RICH DIVERSITY: A celebration of Nigerian filmmaking is conceived as a 'mini' film festival, showcasing some of the most distinctive Nigerian filmmaking from the past and present. It is by no means exhaustive or even very comprehensive; that would require a much larger retrospective. As the title implies, we have simply set out to represent the incredible range and diversity of Nigerian movies, which is in turn a reflection of the rich diversity of the country itself.

The roster of filmmakers includes the veteran Tunde Kelani alongside the young talents Kenneth Gyang and Chris Ihidero. The producer/director Amaka Igwe and the writer/producer Emem Isong are representative of the ceiling-shattering force of women in the industry. The films themselves are richly varied: works from the early era of Nollywood mingle with recent releases, fictional narratives are paired with Femi Odugbemi's documentaries, locations range from Kano to Abeokuta to the highlands of Cross River, and stars like Ali Nuhu and Ini Edo share the screen with scores of emerging talents.

OUR RICH DIVERSITY: A Celebration of Nigerian Filmmaking is part of the cultural strand of New World Nigeria, an initiative of the Bank of Industry to promote Nigerian commerce and culture to the world during the 2012 London Olympics. This film festival has been organized by Lufodo Productions and is fully sponsored by the Bank of Industry.
The Bank of Industry (BOI) is one of Nigeria's oldest and largest development financing institutions, and is geared towards supporting and promoting the growth of Nigerian industry and enterprise. BOI has provided financing for commercial ventures in a variety of sectors, including energy, manufacturing, and media.

Lufodo Group is a full-fledged media and entertainment services company based in Lagos, Nigeria. Lufodo productions have included the film The Kingmaker and the celebrated stagings of Ahmed Yerima's Little Drops, and Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. The Lufodo Academy of the Performing Arts (LAPA) is the educational and training arm of Lufodo Productions.

August 7
1pm. Rattlesnake
4:30pm Blood and Henna
7:30pm Maami, preceded by Good People Great Nation

August 8
12:45pm Arugba, preceded by Oriki
4pm Violated, preceded by Big Daddy
7:30pm I'll Take my Chances

*All screenings will be followed by a brief Q&A with the filmmakers.
For tickets call Nigeria House on 0208 279 1177

Issued by DayoOlomuPR

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