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Bad Night or Nollywood As Viva Riva Sweeps Africa Movie Awards
A gritty rollercoaster of a film set in Kinshasa, ‘Viva Riva’ tells the story of a criminal who intercepts a lucrative consignment of fuel during a shortage, and the ruthless Angolan gang hot on his tail. Patsha Bay Mukuna, who played the charismatic Riva, attended the AMAA ceremony, alongside the film’s Best Supporting Actress winner, Marlene Longage. Accepting the Best Film award, producer Boris Vanglis said, “It’s a historic moment for us. This is the first film in Congo-Kinshasa in 20 years in Lingala (language).” He paid tribute to the vision of the director, Djo Tunda Wa Munga, said to be away in Europe promoting the film. ‘Viva Riva’ has wowed audiences at international festivals and is now set for release in Britain and America. Another big AMAA winner was ‘Sinking Sands’, a Ghanaian film written and directed by Leila Djansi. It got awards in three categories including Best Actress for UK-based actress, Ama K. Abebrese. A story about domestic violence and love gone sour, ‘Sinking Sands’ also stars Haitian-American actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, a Best Actor nominee. Accepting the Best Screenplay award on behalf of Djansi, Jean-Louis urged for more collaboration between African moviemakers, noting that ‘Sinking Sands’, though a Ghanaian film, used actors and crew from several countries including Nigeria, Britain and Germany. A major presence at the ceremony, Jimmy Jean-Louis featured in at least four films nominated for this year’s awards. The African American actor, Nate Parker (‘The Great Debaters’), also attended the awards. New title New subtitle New Body Nollywood Actors Chart New Course
In recent years, the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has been a theatre of all sorts of tension. From a series of internal crisis – leadership tussle, actors fighting one another – to poor financing and heated pre-election politicking. But the newly elected chairman of AGN, Lagos State chapter, Mr. Emeka Rising-Ibeh raises hope that all those issues will soon recede to history. Elected, last month, Ibeh said he will commit his reign to stopping all the bickering and reconciling all parties. To this effect, he has already hosted a meeting in which all players in the industry met to draw an agenda for moving the guild forward in Lagos. In attendance were the vice chairman AGN South West, Hakeem Rahman and such frontline Nollywood acts as Fred Amata, Keppy Ekpenyong-Bassey, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen among others. Addressing the media at the event, the tall and muscular actor fondly called Rising, who played a sub lead role in the popular film, Isakaba, said his goal is to unite all vexed factions in the industry. The new AGN, Lagos helmsman, who succeeded, Ernest Asuzu, identified incessant bickering over trivia as the main bane of growth in, not only the actor’s fold, but the entire Nollywood. Explaining to the media, after, he said: “I want to carry everyone along. That is why I invited them here today so that we can intimate them with our vision and mission and forge a common mission to move AGN forward.” Held at Dechills Hind Restaurant and Bar, Adeniran Ogunsanya Street Surulere, Lagos last Saturday night the forum ended with members of the industry praising Rising for the initiative, and pledging to work with him to give the guild a new lease of life. Actress, Adora Ukoh who could not hide her joy on the development expressed her happiness thus: “I am happy with Rising for this initiative by calling on us to talk on how we can move the guild forward. With just few weeks that he is elected he has been able to achieve this.” The event also presented operators a platform to appraise the current state of Nollywood, highlighting its triumphs and challenges. Popular film director, Imasuen disclosed that it was the first time of his being officially invited to attend an AGN meeting in his 16-year-operation in Nollywood. “They called me. They sent me an SMS, I deleted it. Then I got a phone call from Rising, and I told him that I will be here. Health wise, I would not have come, I actually collapsed this afternoon while looking for money. If it is the same way that people like Dangote and others went to make money, they would have died, long ago,” he cracked. Continuing, on a more serious note, Imasuen reasoned that Nollywood’s problem is not necessarily the operators’ ego but the absence of clear institutional foundations and well documented history. Jonathan Seeks Problem Solving Research From Varsities
According to Jonathan, research in the universities “can no longer be left to be the whims and caprices of researchers just for the sole purpose of advancing their career prospects”. The president spoke yesterday at 4th convocation of the Michael Okpara Univerity of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State. The president was represented by the minister of state for education, Chief Kenneth Gbagi. “Research in our universities must seek to solve practical problems and thus contribute to human well-being and the pool of the nation’s development efforts. Beyond relevant, problem-solving research, universities should also be able to install appropriate mechanisms for translating research results into the forms and quantities that are usable by the larger society. “Any products of the universities in manpower development and research output that fall of these benchmarks will constitute luxury that we cannot afford at this stage of our national development”, Jonathan noted. He reiterated his administration’s effort aimed at re-engineering the education sector in order to reposition “our primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions”. “Our educational institutions must also be able to deliver quality manpower consistent with our desire for national economic development”, he further charged the universities. AMAA Awards Gets International Support It is Expected to Bring The Crème de la Crème of African Cinema Under One Roof.
One of the academies is the European Film Academy (EFA). The Academy, 'Beatwaves' sources confirmed, has joined the AMAA jury for this year’s event. It has also endorsed AMAA as a credible awards ceremony, hence the decision to be part of it. Founded in 1988, the European Film Academy unites more than 2,300 European film professionals with the common aim of promoting Europe’s film culture. An AMAA insider said the Academy was impressed by the kind of movies that were awarded at AMAAs every year. Anytime those movies make it into international film festivals, they prove to be very good movies, as they don’t just win other recognitions but rub shoulders with other recognized international movies. Movies such as ‘From A Whisper’ (Kenya), ‘Run Baby Run’ (Ghana), ‘The Figurine’ (Nigeria), ‘The Tenant’ (Nigeria) are a few of the movies that went through AMAA and caused a stir at international film festivals including the Rotterdam Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and more. That, for the Academy, was enough evidence that the awards ceremony did not just honour any kind of movie. It has to a large extent got credibility, hence the EFA’s interest. Last year’s AMAA was described by the BBC as Africa’s Oscar. It is not clear where this year’s event will take place but as usual, it is expected to bring the crème de la crème of African cinema under one roof. “The stakes are high this year,” the source said. The award’s jury, which is made up of selected high movie intellectuals across Africa, is working without any interference from the organizers of the event. The jury has received over 300 entries from various African countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and more. Ghana’s fate currently lies in 30 movies. Different screening processes were held to select the best movies in different countries. A third stage screening process by the jury, 'Beatwaves' was told, is currently ongoing at secret a location in Ghana to further select the very best movies. After this, the final selection will be done in Europe. Genevieve, Omotola Unite Beatwaves Reporting
Though the screen goddesses came out to clear the air about their relationship, a section of Nollywood maintained that they did not see eye to eye. 'They only accepted to star together in 'Ije' because the money was good,'a source told BEATWAVES. Genevieve and Omotola, who are the only Nigerian top stars in the movie, have not played together for a long time after their 'Blood Sisters' movie. Their rivalry reportedly started over movie roles and the contention between them over who was Nigeria's biggest screen diva from 2003. Perhaps, the new movie will turn things around for the two stars in the public eye. Their high budget movie, which stars a number of other Hollywood actors, was partly shot in Los Angeles, and was directed and produced by New York Film Academy graduate,Chineze Anyaene,a 26-year-old Nigerian based in Los Angeles,California. It has been described as the first standard Nigerian made Hollywood film. 'Ije' means the journey and has been screened at several film festivals and has won awards still counting. Transporting the audience from lush countryside of Nigeria,to the intensity and seductive power of Los Angeles,Ije- The Journey- tells the story of two sisters with unbreakable bonds of loyalty and the power of human spirit. When Anya, the elder of the two,vows to chase her dreams of glamour in the Hollywood Hills,her younger sister- Chioma- warns her of the dark side of American Dream. Years later, in a world away from the life she knew, Anya is charged with the murder of three men, one of them her powerful husband. Chioma travels to her sister's side to battle not only a flawed justice system with the aid of a young and disillusioned attorney, but the very notion of 'truth' as the culture values of two worlds collide. Weaving a melodic and beautiful score through rich visuals in Los Angeles and flashbacks on location in Nigeria, 'Ije' captures the viewer from the very first scene and delivers a powerful message through the moving conclusion. The movie was premiered in Ghana on December 31 at the Silverbird Cinema in Accra. Chelsea Handler Has Branded Angelina Jolie Insincere
The 'Chelsea Lately' host -- who branded the 'Tourist' star a "homewrecker" last week -- has again hit out at the actress, admitting she wouldn't want to spend time in her company. Chelsea - a close friend of Jennifer Aniston, the ex-wife of Angelina's partner Brad Pitt - said: "I'm not a fan. She just doesn't come off to me as a sincere woman. She seems like a woman that you'd really want to avoid." While Chelsea has nothing good to say about Angelina, she was full of praise for her friend Jennifer. She told America's Glamour magazine: "Jennifer Aniston makes me laugh. She sends me really, really funny emails. She's hilarious and irreverent." Though the comic was criticised for her foul-mouthed tirade against Angelina - in which she also branded her a "f***ing ****" - on stage last week, the 35-year-old star insists she has some limits when it comes to writing her jokes. She explained: "I think talking about children and their looks is not nice. Like, unattractive children. I don't do that. And I don't talk about people who are dying. I think that's inappropriate." Actor Wesley Snipes Ordered To Prison For Tax Evasion. To Begin A Three-year Sentence
The star of the Blade films was ordered to report to a prison in the town of Lewis Run on 9 December. Snipes asked a judge last week to let him remain free on bail while he appeals to the US Supreme Court to overturn his conviction. The actor, 48, was convicted in 2008 for failing to file tax returns. Snipes appealed to a court in Atlanta in the US state of Georgia after being found guilty by a jury in Florida. But the court upheld the conviction and sentence. The actor's lawyers then argued last month that Snipes had a legal right to remain on bail while they prepared a fresh appeal. Snipes's lawyers also said at hearing in the town of Ocala in Florida last month that jurors should be interviewed about whether they had perjured themselves by stating during jury selection that they did not have preconceived opinions about the actor. His lawyer, Daniel Meachum, said he had received e-mails from multiple jurors, who claimed others in the jury believed the actor was guilty before the trial began. At the time of his conviction in April 2008, prosecutors said Snipes had earned more than $37m (£24m) in gross income between 1999 and 2004, but had not filed tax returns or paid any federal taxes. Leslie Nielsen, Comic Actor And Airplane Star, Dies. Leslie Nielsen Enjoyed An Acting Career Which Spanned Six Decades.
He died in hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was being treated for pneumonia, his agent John S Kelly said. Canadian-born Nielsen started out as a serious actor but in 1980, his role as a hapless doctor in the disaster spoof film Airplane! made him a comic star. In all, he appeared in more than 100 films and had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. "With his friends and his wife by his side, he just fell asleep and passed away," his nephew Doug Nielsen told the AFP news agency. 'Don't call me Shirley' Born in the Canadian city of Regina in 1926, Leslie Nielsen enjoyed an acting career which spanned six decades. He started as a television actor in New York in 1950, performing in about 150 live dramas. Moving to Hollywood in the mid-1950s, he initially carved out a film career as a leading man, capitalising on his craggy good looks and 6ft 2in (187cm) height. In 1980, however, his deadpan delivery in comedy disaster movie Airplane! marked him out as a gifted clown. It was in this role that he became known for the line: "Don't call me Shirley." The success of Airplane! led to another TV role in spoof crime show Police Squad, where he first played accident-prone detective Frank Drebin. He went on to make three films as the character in the Naked Gun series, starring opposite Priscilla Presley. Nearly two weeks ago - at the age of 84 - Nielsen was taken into hospital in Florida where he lived, suffering from pneumonia. His condition worsened over the last two days and relatives said he passed away peacefully. Brad Pitt's Moneyball Set Pictures -- FIRST LOOK!
It was announced over a year ago that Brad would be playing baseball team Oakland A’s manager Billy Beane, who attempts to draft players to the team using computer-generated analysis. Today is second birthday of Brad and Angelina Jolie’s twins, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline. Happy Birthday, you two!!! |
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