•As organisers shift film submission deadline to Dec. 9
Organisers of Lakecity Film Festival (LACIFF) have announced CJ Obasi’s ‘O’Town’ and Joe Brown’s ‘The Missing God’ as the opening and closing films of the festival respectively.
Customary to film festival culture, the two films will headline the event, while about 50 other films have been selected as part of the official line-up for the festival, taking place in Oguta, Imo State, from December 16 to 18, 2016.
Speaking to journalists on the state of preparedness recently, Founder of LACIFF, Ekine Stronghold said the festival will celebrates all indigenous films in any genre from anywhere in the world.
He said apart from the fact that the festival will drive the tourism potential of the State, it will encourage filmmakers to produce indigenous films for global consumption.
“LACIFF creates an environment necessary for the global cross-pollination of cultures, boosts cultural awareness and exchange in a bid to encourage filmmakers to look more inwardly and tell their individual stories through their own lenses,” he said.
Thus, the gala night, he said will award films in the categories of art, history, tourism and environment.
While announcing that a notable indigene of Oguta and popular Nollywood actor, Clem Ohameze is the face of the festival, Stronghold revealed an impressive ensemble of five jurors, including the creator of Tinsel and former Vice President of the Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria (SWGN), Yinka Ogun; former president of Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) and Chairman of Audio Visual Rights Society (AVRS), Bond Emeruwa; veteran writer, actor and producer Tari West Johnson; Assistant professor of Film Studies at the Montana State University, U.S.A., Kathy Kasic and Alhaji Sani Muazu, an elite filmmaker from Northern Nigeria.
The festival Advisory Board is chaired by Chief Executive Officer of Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Ms. Chioma Ude. Other members are; Film Producer Rogers Ofime; Executive Secretary AMAA, Tony Anih; Veteran actor, Jide Kosoko and journalist and film critic, Shaibu Hussein.
Meanwhile, organisers have moved film submission deadline to December 9, 2016.