By the time her movie, All the Right Reasons, is screened to the world in April, it will rekindle the memories of Mrs. ChinenyeOkwudiliBalogun, the little girl who back in 2005 as an SSS2 student, authored the novel, ‘Lonely Hearts,’ which got her the ’Teenager of The Year 2005’ award, organised by the Teens Resource Centre, Lagos.
To others, it would be for her roles in big television dramas, soap operas and films such as Tinsel, Arrested Intelligence, Sitanda, Bloody Gold, Mental Case, Blood Money, Ghost in Love, Victims of the Society, Secrets and Scandals, Happy Family and Ghost Lovers among others.
But Nenye, as she is fondly called by friends is back in Nigeria from Orlando, Florida, USA to promote her new work.
All the Right Reasons is co-produced by her husband, TemitopeBalogun, under their outfit, TFC Production Company.
The movie, which she says is inspired by true life events stars the likes of Patience Ozokwor, Femi Jacobs and several American actors, underscores her ability a creative writer.
Nenye who grew up in Lagos, cited the megacity in the story’s sub-plots as her way of giving back to the society, adding that the movie cost approximately $200,000.
Narrating her humble beginning, the budding actress cum producer said: ‘My journey into the creative industry started from my early years in life when I was seven years old. Then, I would gather my siblings and tell them folklores, most of which I created. Soon, it grew to including other children in the neighbourhood to hear my stories. As I got into the high school, from my JSS 1, I began to write and compile my stories and distribute them to classmates and friends who cared to read.”
Chinenye, who hails from of Ideato North local Government in Imo state was born in Jos but spent the better part of her childhood in Lagos with her parents, said while in the University of Jos studying Law, she featured in her first big screen film, Sitanda sponsored by Amstel Box Office.
She described her journey into the movie industry as smooth and rough at the same time, “it was smooth because after my first appearance in Sitanda, a director, Emeka Hill Umeasor took interest in my talent. He was about to shoot a movie at the time Sins of Rachael, and I was a perfect match for the character. From then on he became like my guardian in the industry, he would feature me in his films, and even starred in Bloody Gold. I began meeting more people who recognized my talent and also featured me in their movies and soaps like Mental Case, Blood Money, Ghost in Love, Victims of the Society, Secrets and Scandals, Happy Family andGhost Lovers among others.
After her tertiary education, she relocated to join her husband in the U.S., where she decided to further her studies in Keiser University Florida and then went ahead to open TFC PRODUCTIONS LIMITED, a film production company which was incorporated in July 2015 in Orlando, Florida, and recently completed the production of my first film, All the Right Reasons.
