'Reflections'... over Nollywood’s big players on shelf
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| Book cover of Reflections. Pic: c/o FAJ. |
RELEASED on Tuesday, Femi Akintunde-Johnson's book titled Reflections had its digital version unveiled.
The author, popularly known as FAJ, is one of Nigeria’s most celebrated journalists in Nigeria.Read more.
Lagos premiere of 'White Cube' film celebrates Congolese’ land buy back
IN
continuation of its world tour, White Cube will stop over for the Lagos
film premiere slated for Saturday, the April 10, 2021. Being organised
by African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) in partnership with Alliance
Française de Lagos, the premiere holds at Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi,
Lagos. Read more here.
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CATPC members (from left) Olele Mulela Mabamba, Huguette Kilembi, Mbuku Kimpala, Jeremie Mabiala, Jean Kawata, Irene Kanga, Ced’art Tamasala and Matthieu Kasiama (still from White Cube, Renzo Martens).
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Heritage ruins of western Nigerian states' cinema chain
IT
started as a story of potential superpower in regional African cinema
business, but ended up as economic, cultural and heritage colossal loss.
Within a period of two and half decades, the cinema chain business
owned by Wemabod Estates Limited, a subsidiary of Odu'a Investment
Company Limited crashed. Read more.
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| A high-rise building currently replaces the demolished iconic Casino Cinema, Alagomeji, Lagos. Pic: by Tajudeen Sowole. |
Remembering Dr Adadevoh with '93 Days' of proudly Nigerian courage
As Nigerians, today, remember Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, a frontline medic who stopped the deadly Ebola disease from spreading in the country, the film that recaptures the tragic story comes as a major memory till date.
Adadevoh (27 October 1956-19 August 2014) led a team of medics that stopped the Liberian index carrier of the Ebola disease, Mr Patrick Sawyer from leaving the First Consultant Medical Centre, located on St Gregory College Road, Obalende, Lagos Island. Adadevoh contracted the disease and died after her team failed to rescue Sawyer, who lost his life on July, 24. Read more.
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| Patrick Sawyer (Keppy Ekpeyoung) in '93 Days'. Pic: c/o Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions.. |
As Nigerians, today, remember Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, a frontline medic who stopped the deadly Ebola disease from spreading in the country, the film that recaptures the tragic story comes as a major memory till date.
Adadevoh (27 October 1956-19 August 2014) led a team of medics that stopped the Liberian index carrier of the Ebola disease, Mr Patrick Sawyer from leaving the First Consultant Medical Centre, located on St Gregory College Road, Obalende, Lagos Island. Adadevoh contracted the disease and died after her team failed to rescue Sawyer, who lost his life on July, 24. Read more.
Post-lockdown advisory for creative industry
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| Matthew Simpa at work in a studio. Pic: c/o the filmmaker. |
With gradual unlocking of Nigeria's economic space, a post-lockdown agenda has been suggested by one of the most experienced creative professionals in Nigeria. Read more.
'Fela and the Kalakuta Queens'...exhuming dancers who reigned ahead of time
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| Casts of Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, a musical by Bolanle Austen-Peters, Pic: c/o BAP.
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When
a musical biopic, Fela
and the Kalakuta Queens, opens on
December 23, 2017 at Terra Kulture Arena, Victoria Island, Lagos, Africa's
biggest musical export, the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti's untold story of dancers will be exhumed. It
is the story of Fela's ladies, whose dance steps, fashion and styles have sowed
the seeds of contemporary African culture ahead of their time.
Produced by the Bolanle Austen-Peters
(BAP) Production house, the musical biopic asserts that indeed, Africans are
capable of telling their own stories better. The BAP, in quick succession has
given the Nigerian arts and culture space two productions in few years: Saro and Wakaa the
musicals, Read more.
Moji Olaiya (25, February 1975-17, May, 2017
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| Moji Olaiya. Pic: c/o Nollywood Forum source |
Olaiya, the niece of legendary Nigerian musician, Victor Olaiya, was in 2003 nominated for the Reel Award Best Supporting Actress of the Year, and she won the Best New Actress Award.
As at the period of her death on May 17, 2017 - from cardiac arrest in Canada two months after childbirth - the actress who converted from Christianity to Islam had READ MORE.
Nollywood,
this morning, lost one of Yoruba film industry’s prominent actors, Olumide Bakare, aged 65.
The actor who became famous from a TV series, Oluwa Langbe Lodge, was said to have passed on after a
protracted illness.
“He had a successful surgery and
after the surgery, he talked to people and told
them he was fine. But two hours
later, he passed on. It is very painful because I had actually been wishing him
a quick recovery,” said Mufu Onifade, a member of the National Association of
Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP). “Bakare is
someone who was a hundred percent committed to the theatre profession. He
started on stage and then from there, went on TV, did radio and then film which
was where he settled.”
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| Olumide Bakare. Pic: Nollywood Forum source |
The actor READ MORE.
------------------------------------------------------How Ambode’s ‘Five Theatre’ project May Revive Cinema at Grassroots
By Tajudeen Sowole
A recent pronouncement by the Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode has brought hope of returning arts, particularly, cinema going culture to Lagos' grassroots beyond the curent state of cinemas in shopping Malls. For several decades pre and post independence, traveling theatre of the Yoruba language, which had its roots in the old western region, spilled into Lagos territory and later generated a vibrant cinema going culture that lasterd till 1990s.
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| Gov Akinwunmi Ambode and other guests during the opening of Heartbeat The Musical…A New Beginning. Pic: c/o LASG. |
Will Dr Bello end up as another misplaced venture?
With the format of production such as a theme or screenplay, deliberately brought in to justify the mixed casts of Nigerian and Hollywood actors, it appears that the producer Tony Abulu and his financiers, Nexim Bank thought the prospect of Nollywood is outside the country.
The producer should know that it has been established that whatever accolades Nigeria had achieved in film, in the past two decades, started with 101 % local contents and humble beginning.
It shocked me that Dr Bello, said to have gulped as much as $250, 000 will make its Nigeria premiere at just one center, Genesis Cinema at The Palms, Lekki, Lagos. The publicity materials I have received, so far, say Dr Bello opens this Sunday at Genesis.
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On the set of Dr Bello. Pic: c/o the producers.
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I am yet to see any preparation for a proper release to follow the premiere. Any Nigerian film project that has as much a budget as Dr Bello should be a pacesetter in cinema-chain format of distribution and not another hawking from one venue to another. I wonder how many people will get to see Dr Bello in Nigeria without cinema-chain distribution.
The director and producer of Dr Bello, Abulu and Nexim Bank should be told in clear language that the real challenge facing Nigerian film industry is not content: it’s distribution, specifically, lack of cinema value.
In theme, Dr Bello is a drama, and not thriller. It depicts an unrecognized or informal Nigerian Doctor based in Brooklyn, New York, and known as a miracle worker. With African incantations he miraculously ‘heals’ a child of Cancer.
One wonders what exactly you needed to spend as much money on just one production of such a movie, when the distribution outlets are non-existence. Half of the money spent should have been enough to can the movie, while the remaining half for distribution.
It would not be a surprise if President Goodluck Jonathan’s announcement of government’s $200m investment in the entertainment industry ends up another fuel subsidy scam or theft. Nexim bank, we have been told is one of the managers of the fund.
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Ajileye, Nollywood leading man bows out
By Tajudeen Sowole
(First published October 17, 2006)
BETWEEN the early and mid-1990s there emerged a new phase in the Nigerian film and television industry, which unknowingly was to give birth to what is today known as Nollywood.
One of the front line actors and producers whose works contributed to that change was Yekini Ajileye who, sadly, passed on last week, October 11, 2006, nearly two years after his wife and actress, Mujidat died..READ MORE.
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By Tajudeen Sowole
BETWEEN the early and mid-1990s there
emerged a new phase in the Nigerian film and television industry, which
unknowingly, was to give birth to what is today known as Nollywood. Read More.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ajileye, Nollywood leading man bows out
By Tajudeen Sowole
(First published October 17, 2006)
BETWEEN the early and mid-1990s there emerged a new phase in the Nigerian film and television industry, which unknowingly was to give birth to what is today known as Nollywood.
One of the front line actors and producers whose works contributed to that change was Yekini Ajileye who, sadly, passed on last week, October 11, 2006, nearly two years after his wife and actress, Mujidat died..READ MORE.
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Yekini Ajileye, Nollywood leading man bows out
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| Yekini Ajileye. Pic: c/o Ajileye Films. |
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'How I created Papalolo
comedian'
BY TAJUDEEN SOWOLE
(First published May 11, 2006)
IF one has to measure the advantage of mother-tongue in acting, particularly comedy, Ayo Ogunsina, a.k.a Papalolo, would be one of such rare examples of actors. He is also one of those early actors who, decades ago, have seen the prospects in today’s comic act business.
Papalolo, a comic character from the group, Jester International, used to be a house-hold name for decades having invaded homes through such outlets as vinyl, stage performance, radio and TV.
A week of TV viewing in the 1980s was incomplete without Papalolo and his co-acts, late Tajudeen Gbadamosi a.k.a, Jacob and Kayode Olaiya, a.k.a, Aderupoko.
Jester, a break away group from Ola Omonitan-led Ajimajasan and His Awada Group, however, was on its way to extinction as soon as one of the leaders, Gbadamosi, passed on, in 1987. Today, the shadow of the impact made then however remains as both Papalolo and Aderupoko are still favourites of fans as stand up comic acts at social events.
comedian'
BY TAJUDEEN SOWOLE
(First published May 11, 2006)
IF one has to measure the advantage of mother-tongue in acting, particularly comedy, Ayo Ogunsina, a.k.a Papalolo, would be one of such rare examples of actors. He is also one of those early actors who, decades ago, have seen the prospects in today’s comic act business.
Papalolo, a comic character from the group, Jester International, used to be a house-hold name for decades having invaded homes through such outlets as vinyl, stage performance, radio and TV.
A week of TV viewing in the 1980s was incomplete without Papalolo and his co-acts, late Tajudeen Gbadamosi a.k.a, Jacob and Kayode Olaiya, a.k.a, Aderupoko.
Jester, a break away group from Ola Omonitan-led Ajimajasan and His Awada Group, however, was on its way to extinction as soon as one of the leaders, Gbadamosi, passed on, in 1987. Today, the shadow of the impact made then however remains as both Papalolo and Aderupoko are still favourites of fans as stand up comic acts at social events.
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| Ayo Ogunsina a k a Papalolo. Pic: c/o the actor. |
Ogunsina’s journey into the world of
make-believe, like most actors of his generation, took a start from the
late theatre icon, Adedeji Hubert Ogunde. "My first contact with acting
came when I joined Ogunde in 1962 – then I was in my early 20s. Being
with Ogunde was like in school, it was an experience well cherished even
though I left two years after, in 1964," he recalled.
But Ogunsina quickly addd that he already had a READ MORE.
But Ogunsina quickly addd that he already had a READ MORE.