Hip hop artiste Damino Damoche who was shot dead last Thursday in Lagos has been buried.
The undergraduate of the Lagos State University, (LASU) who was killed by suspected cultists at the gate of the institution was buried on friday at the Badagry cemetery.
A candle light procession was held for the deceased on the evening of his burial.
Petite Nollywood beauty and winner of the third edition of Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) competition, Bhaira Mcwizu took a break off the movie scene in 2012 to pursue her new found love and passion in jewelry collection and fashion. The actress who shot into limelight with the movie, Cindy’s Note says that she is back. The actress who reiterated her comeback in this interview with MERCY MICHAEL also says that she is gearing up to make her first cinema appearance for 2013. She also speaks about tales of marriage trailing her among other things:
YOU look trimmed. What has been happening to you, especially given your absence from the scene?
I’ve been taking good care of myself. Life is good. I try to avoid lot of late night snacks. It’s very normal for an actor to work so long then forget to eat and then at night you just binge all the way. Of course I try to rest well. I eat the right thing and try not to worry myself.
Have you made your entry into the cinema yet?
Of course my first movie, Cindy’s Note, went to the cinema. So also did Kiss and Tell. One of the movies I starred in will premiere soon. It is called C7, which means the 7th Commandment, ‘Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery’. It is a fantastic movie. I got to play Hajara, a very silly and playful woman who is pitched alongside Stephanie Okereke. Things happened, someone gets shot, the police come in and stuff like that.
What else are you working on presently?
I will just tell you to watch out. Bhaira is back. There are lots of things in the pipeline. Aside personal projects, film is major for me. I took last year to do several personal projects but this year it’s strictly films. This year will be awesome. I’m a child of God and I am blessed.
It was rumoured that you tied the knot last year. It was also said that you were pregnant. Tell us about family life?
I would like to use this very important medium to tell people to stop marrying me off to somebody. I am not married, I beg you. I see the shock on your face. You are surprised. I’m not married. This ring was made by me. It is a part of my jewelry collection. I am not married. This is from my jewelry line. I’m not offended though because you are not the first person to ask me that question. A very popular blogger asked me the same question not too long ago. I am happily not married. So that is for real.
Of course the rumour trended last year. So how did you handle it?
I didn’t have to worry or let it bother me. I just let my publicist handle it and I just kept being focused on what I was doing. I told myself that if they say I am pregnant, if it’s true it will show. If it’s not true it won’t show. Abi dem dey hide pregnancy?
Talking about your jewelry collection it’s still not well known that you are now into Jewelry line?
We are waiting for the website to be ready so people can get to see the collections for 2013. Talking about being known, they are not everywhere but sure they are in the right places. They are all handmade accessories.
So when did you realize you had the passion for handmade accessories?
Well, I’ve always known that I liked to dress, I like to look good and all that but as of last year when I took time off from acting, I had to look for something I could do so I went to a fashion institute. There I got both formal and informal training on several things. That was what gave birth to Bhiara Mcwizu Classic Collections (BMCC).
Your fans who may like to patronize you where can they get your collections?
It depends on what they want. We have gold collections as well as costume collections. Costume collection is always available to anyone but if you want something that will never tarnish, that you can look at in years to come and be proud that you had it, yeah we make special demands.
Talking about movies what was your last movie?
It was a TV production titled Knock Knock. It’s a series about four upwardly mobile young girls who shared an apartment. It’s a comedy drama kind of thing. You will laugh. You will enjoy it. It centers on life as a Nigerian in Lagos, the challenges and enjoyments so to speak. It’s was really fun. I had lots of fun on that set.
Tell us about your character?
I played the funny, no-nonsense girl who keeps everything and everyone together when it seems to be going gaga. My character tries to keep the home together, the friendship together, yes that’s it.
You said you played the funny character. How challenging was it?
It was challenging. Even I wondered for a moment if I would be able to interpret the role but the Director was on point. He was just there to correct and help at every point. My character is not something that evokes raucous laughter but you will definitely laugh and admit that those things happen in our daily lives as Lagosians. The Director was just patient and always there to correct us, trying to help us get into character. It’s just a blessing to have such a Director.
Do you choose your movies as it seems you do not do so many?
I guess so because I believe that having been given this gift by God, it is not just for me to use it indiscriminately. There must be a good reason for it. At first I thought I had to be in every movie but as time went by I realized I really do not have to. Rather, anyone I chose to do should standout just like the movie that shot me into limelight. What I’m trying to say in essence is, the script has to be good enough for me to want to do it these days. If it’s not I may not do it. It doesn’t have to be changing the world but it can make someone happy. It should make sense.
So what is your dream role?
Any worthy role is my dream role. It can be a mad woman who became mad as a result of the things she did in the past. It has be a role that I know will convey a lot of positivity in this our negative world. It has to make a lot of meaning to me before I can play the role.
You said you attended a fashion institute. I’m just wondering if you made this Ankara you are wearing…
Yes I made it myself. One year is not a joke Mercy. I make clothes. I have a clothing line as well but the truth is, I can’t possibly manage both my jewelry collection and my clothing line. There has to be a team that does that, who makes good clothes. I can’t do everything myself. For now we major in jewelry.
Talking about the movie that shot you into limelight, do you think there can be another Cindy’s Note for you?
There can’t be another Cindy’s Note. Even if there was a sequel, I’m not sure it can be like the first one. I think I would have to give all the glory to God because God’s hand was upon that project. Before then, I had gone for a lot of auditions. I wanted to act. And when the opportunity came I just grabbed it with both hands and that was it.
What was it like before AMBO?
Before AMBO I really wanted to act and nothing was happening. It was like God always want to see how much you want something so that when He gives you the opportunity you won’t abuse it. I guess He saw I really wanted to act and He gave me an opportunity in Amstel Malta Box Office competition.
You were so believable in that movie…
I don’t joke with any character. I read the script. I understood what it means to be in a situation where you want to change things. I just used my experience to act that out. The storyline in Cindy’s Note was just so on point. Even the other character, Mr. Kayafa, made my life hell. He made my day. For once I felt I was in the right profession. But the funny thing is that, as an actor, the feeling doesn’t last because you always feel you can do more.
So, you are naturally an activist?
Yeah I should be. There are so many things that are going wrong in this life which I do not like. I’m sure I would lend my voice to few of them. I was part of Project Rape. I was part of the War against Rape project. In recently times, I have not done anything like that but I’m sure God’s willing I will do something in that direction.
What else could be taking you away from acting?
Nothing is taking my time. I am fully available. Like I said, last year I took time off to attend to some personal projects. Of course I couldn’t combine that with acting because as you know acting is very demanding and you can hardly do any other thing when you are doing that.
So how do you unwind?
I just relax. I travel. I watch films basically anything to relax.
What was the last film you watched?
Skyfall was the last movie I saw. It’s my husband that directed it. I’m just kidding ooo before they carry that one too.
NOLLYWOOD actress, Omotola Jolade Ekehinde has made her first appearance in Hollywood as she stars in a US TV series titled Bounce. Creator of the programme, James LaRosa says that he is “humbled to have the real omosexy make her US TV debut on Bounce.”
The actress stars alongside Kimberly Elise, Dean Cain, Bernie Kopell, Eric Stoltz and Akon amongst others. Bounce is a VH1 series created by James LaRosa. It follows the life of Ahsha (Taylor Paige), a girl who joins the professional basketball dance team, the Los Angeles Devil Girls, unaware of the treacherous and tempting world that follows.
ANOTHER appointment has come the way of Nollywood actress, Joke Silva as the management of Kwara State University has officially appointed her to head a Nollywood movie studio named Malete Film Village owned by the institution.
According to reports, the actress, mother and producer has been charged with the task of not just building a movie studio in the school from scratch, she is also saddled with the responsibility of training people who love acting profession.
“I would be building a movie studio from scratch and making it viable. More importantly, it is supposed to be an underpinning for Nollywood where the skills that are necessary to sustain Nollywood will be taught. It is to train those who have decided to take a profession in the film industry and the various skills that are involved in the industry. I am the pioneer MD,” Silva stated.
SEXY Ghanaian TV hostess and actress, Joselyn Dumas was in Lagos over the weekend to pick up two special recognition awards from City People Magazine, popular Nigerian entertainment and lifestyle publication.
Both awards were for her ‘stellar contribution to the movie and media industry in Africa’ and her ‘tremendous growth in the movie industry.
Receiving the awards, Dumas said that the surprising honour would urge her to work harder and achieve greater heights in African cinema and media. She hoped that the award would be a perfect introduction to Nollywood, for her to showcase her talent beyond her well-known appearance in the ‘Adam’s Apples’ movie series.
Also present at the ceremony were Big Brother Amplified housemate Vina, veteran film maker Chico Ejiro, comedian Gbenga Adeyinka, Praiz among others.
I find it necessary to repeat this piece, because history, has repeated itself. The allegation of subtle alienation by the management of FESPACO, of filmmakers from Anglophone African countries and uncoordinated nature of the festival is rearing its ugly face again. For the records, of the two Nigerian films nominated for competition, only Newton Aduaka, the producer of One Man Show is attending the festival. The festival organisers have refused to tidy up Niji Akanni’s participation as promised, and the man has remained in Lagos. Is this a coincidence or another blatant disregard for video, a format on which Akanni’s Heroes and Zeroes was shot?
…Indeed, “African cinema” has been historically synonymous with Francophone African films, according to film curator and Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) jury member Keith Shiri. The primary source of funding for these movies is the French government, which allots an average budget of €500,000 to €2 million per film to its former colonies, thus allowing filmmakers to purchase and process pricey celluloid stock abroad at the cost of $400 to $500 per minute of film. These products are then distributed globally at film festivals and are seldom watched by their native audiences. Recent international attention has been directed at the robust volume of independently financed and lower budget productions from Nigeria and other Anglophone African countries. These films are shot on much cheaper digital formats and are enthusiastically consumed by Africans, thus challenging the traditional concept of “African cinema”.
Director Tunde Kelani confronted FESPACO’s definition of film at the African Film, Video, and the Social Impact of New Technologies workshop organized during the Festival by the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) on February 27 and 28, 2011. While he is listed as a “video-maker” in the workshop program, Kelani has worked with a variety of audiovisual media over his 30-year career: super 8; super 16; 8 mm; 16 mm; 35 mm; all video formats; and now digital format. He emphasized the false contradictions between cinema and video, stating that new technology allows digital cameras to use film lenses and for some digital formats to have higher resolutions than 35 mm film. Kelani forecast that celluloid production will disappear in the near future due to cheaper digital alternatives to shooting high-resolution film, such as the RED ONE camera.
Kelani is not alone. Chairman of the AMAA Selection Committee, Shaibu Husseini privately conceded the need for FESPACO to adapt to technological changes: “They need to modify the rules to accommodate recent developments in technology. There shouldn’t be rules on making films in celluloid.”
Yet at the CODESRIA workshop, Burkinabe director Idrissa Ouedraogo countered Kelani and Husseini’s position by maintaining that a hierarchy exists between celluloid and video because “the beauty of the image is in the celluloid” and that video is unable to capture a wide range of contrast. He continued by asserting that movies made in Nigeria are more commerce than art, referring to Nollywood’s rapid production schedule as “business, not cinema”.
Director Kunle Afolayan tried to find common ground among these viewpoints at a Centre Culturel Français Ouagadougou screening of The Figurine on March 1. He emphasized his film’s self-sufficient financing and production structure as an advantage: “The film is self-funded and made entirely by Nigerians.” But he also stressed that collaboration between Anglophone and Francophone filmmakers is the key to take African cinema to the next level: “The camera knows no language…The sky is the limit if we come together as Africans.”
Afolayan’s appeal for intracontinental cooperation may be coming true: three films nominated for the Nigerian-produced AMAA also competed at FESPACO: A small town called Descent (South Africa, 2010), Zebu and the photo fish (Kenya, 2010), and Dina (Mozambique, 2010). In addition, FESPACO awarded Champions of our time the second prize in the TV & Video category, fueling expectations that more Nigerian directors will be recognized in future editions.
In the end, FESPACO 2011 was defined by a missed opportunity to unite filmmakers across the continent regardless of production format, budget, or colonial histories. Shiri observes an excitement surrounding the “new wave of directors from Nigeria who understand the importance of aesthetics, sound, pacing, and the strength of the story.” As Nigerian and other Anglophone cinema cultures gain global prominence, FESPACO’s continued alienation of them over politics of production will be detrimental to the Festival’s standing as the preeminent place on the continent to view and discuss African cinema.
-Bic Leu is a US Fulbright Fellow researching the social impact of Nollywood at the University of Lagos.
AS the date of the AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs) draws close, organisers have announced that charismatic Big Brother Africa presenter IK Osakioduwa and gorgeous StarGist leading lady Vimbai Mutinhiri will host the show.
MD of M-Net Africa, Biola Alabi revealed that they were chosen because their experience and passion for the African entertainment scene makes them unique ambassadors for the event
“IK’s cool, calm professionalism combined with his effortless charm is clearly a benefit during busy live broadcasts while the always optimistic and stylish Vimbai’s enthusiasm for lifestyle programming makes her the ideal co-host for what we are confident will be a glittering, glamourous night for African stars, industry insiders and audiences watching at home,” she said.
On her role at the AMVCAs, Zimbabwean Vimbai who first shot to fame as a housemate on Big Brother Amplified says that she is honored and excited to be part of the biggest initiative in the African film and television industry. “I feel there is no better way to pay homage to the outstanding stars we have on this continent than to be a part of the grand occasion to honour each one of them. I am sincerely humbled.”
Held in association with MultiChoice and sponsored by Amstel Malta, the maiden edition of the event comes up March 9.
A new record label, Dee Dee Records, is set to make a mark in the Nigerian music scene as it unveiled its Nigerian artistes last week in Lagos. According to the CEO of the label, Damien Iwumene, Dee Dee Records will take entertainment in Nigeria to the next level.
“We have been making noise in the US and we are known for what we do. Now we want to take the gospel back home and empower our youths. We have three American artistes and two Nigerian artistes so Dee Dee Records is one big cross-Atlantic family of talented artistes,” he said.
Iwumene added that right from his Secondary School days, he had always loved music. However, it was when he got to the US that he finally realized his dream after he set up Dee4 Dee Records three years ago.
According to Iwumene, the two new Nigerian acts to join the label are Saint Leo (the masked One) and Indo while its American artistes include Ptyute, Moses Efret and Mas Satrazy. However, he disclosed that the label is currently concentrating on releasing the debut album of Nollywood actor, Moses Efret.
“Right now we are pushing Moses Efret’s debut gospel album which should drop in May or June both here in Nigeria and in the US. Once we do that we will push St. Leo and Indo’s albums. They are currently in the studio recording. Moses Efret’s, Na My Time, so far has enjoyed massive downloads on the internet.”
THIS year certainly is going to be a blast and a big busy year for Vivien Richard Effiong, who is a singer and leader of female group known as IBAN.
A final year student of university of Lagos, Faculty of Education and also an event planner, she got engaged to her heartthrob Mr. Kelvin Clarke an I.T Executive with Cisco Worldwide, while at the Burj Khalifa (the world tallest building)in the heart of Dubai on the January 15, 2013.
If the gist from rumour mills is anything to go by, she will be traveling to France, to purchase her wedding gown. Although Vivien has refused to confirm the rumour she however admitted that details of her marriage arrangement will be revealed to select media representatives
Signed under Habdullmedia, it will be recalled that December 7, 2012 Vivien held the Calabar Festival stage spellbound, with her stunning performance. Her new video is set to hit the airwave by the end of the month.
FOLLOWING its recent announcement that it will be rewarding its subscribers in a promo tagged Money Drop, the management of DStv, on Thursday, February 21, presented a cash prize of $10,000 to its first winner, Mr. Segun Adeyemo.
Making the presentation, the General Manager of DStv, Mayo Okunola gave an insight into the reward system which he called a customer loyalty campaign. “This is a kick off for us. Every week, there would be a winner. The first winner will take home $10,000 dollars in monetary value but according to the exchange rate, we will be giving out N1.59m,” he said.
Explaining how the system works, Okunola said that winners are selected randomly among those who pay their subscription in advance. “We want to reward our subscribers for paying in advance or for being consistent with their payment because there is value for us and there is value for them. We are trying to demonstrate our value for our subscribers and we are here to build a relationship with them. We are here to get to know them and we are here to show them that subscribing to this system is beneficial,” he added
Elated at his winnings, Adeyemo said that it came as a surprise to him when I got the call that he had won. “I didn’t even believe it. I have never been part of a draw before; I just do my things normally. I don’t even believe in miracles but it came as a surprise to me. I want to encourage people to partake of the process. I love paying bills in advance so I paid my DStv subscription one year upfront. This is more than a miracle. I really appreciate it,” he enthused.