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Tag: Tade Ogidan

  • Tade Ogidan, Lancelot Imasuen, others bag Lekki Film Festival Awards

    The inaugural edition of the Lekki International Film Festival which ended last weekend with a gala and award ceremony saw Tade Ogidan, Lancelot Imasuen and three other film makers taking home the award plaques. The other film makers are Cameroon’s Jude Fokwang, a professor in Denver, USA, Balaraba Ramat Yakubu and Okhomina Joseph, a film school student.

    Imasuen’s new and yet to be released film, ‘Family First’, received the Best Film Award while Tade Ogidan’s film, currently in cinemas, ‘Gold Statue’, won the Best Feature Film Award. The Best Indigenous Language Film Award went to ‘Palace Coup’, a Hausa language film set in the early nineteenth century Kano and produced by Balaraba Ramat Mohammed, who is also a younger sister of the late Nigerian Head of State Murtala Ramat Muhammed. The Best Documentary Film Award went to ‘Something New In Old Town’ by Jude Fokwang while the Best Short Film went to Okhomina Joseph’s 10-minutes short feature, ‘Depression.’

    Ogidan’s ‘Gold Statue’ highlights the virtue of not being consumed in the race for material wealth while Imasuen’s ‘Family First’ is the story of bonding and the preservation of the family tie at a time of social insecurity, upheavals and economic turbulence. And set in a notorious suburb of Yaounde known as Old Town, ‘Something New In Old Town’ depicts life in the hub for prostitution and urban violence.

    The winners emerged from a shortlist of 15 films.

    The chairman of the jury is Segun Oyekunle with other members as Augusta Okon, Tajudeen Agboola and Jahman Anikulapo. Oyekunle, who is also the Managing Director and CEO of Abuja Film Village, was a consultant in African film in Los Angeles, USA who spent nearly thirty years working in Hollywood. Augusta Okon is a lawyer who has given her career wholly to the film industry, serving for some while in senior management at Filmhouse Cinemas. Taju Agboola is a seasoned production and post-production expert and former editor of the African Videomaker magazine. Jahman Anikulapo is a former editor of The Guardian Newspaper on Sunday and a seasoned arts editor.

    The four-day festival was attended by Industry stakeholders like Kene Mkparu, founder of the Filmhouse Cinemas chain, Lola Onigbogi, founder of the Africa Movie Channel, and Nollywood stars like Kenneth Okoli, Wole Ojo and Mercy Iyamu. Others are Duro Oni, a former Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Civilization, (CBAAC), Jonathan Haynes, a professor from New York and the leading authority in African film and Tony Adah, a professor at the University of Minnesota, USA.

  • Tade Ogidan returns with ‘Gold Statue’

    SEVEN years after his last effort, seasonal producer Tade Ogidan is out with a new film titled Gold Statue. The comedy-drama, a collaboration with Solution Media and Infotech Limited, is scheduled for release in May, 2019.

    The movie follows the adventure of two young men – Wale (Gabriel Afolayan) and Chike (Kunle Remi) – in search of a ‘Gold Statue’ believed to be an inherited deity.

    In trying to locate ‘Gold Statue’, they go through a series of ordeal and put themselves through some ridiculous painful situations that leave their parents shocked. But the question remains, is there really a ‘Gold Statue’ or is it a myth?

    The movie which was shot in four cities stars Richard Mofe Damijo, Alibaba, Sola Sobowale, Gabriel Afolayan, Kunle Remi, Rycardo Agbor, Kelvin Ikeduba, Remi Surutu, Kunle Fawole, Segun Arinze and Norbert Young. Others include Francis Onwochie, Tina Mba, Yvonne Jegede Fawole, Greg Ojefua, Sani Danja, Etinosa Idemudia, Adeniyi Johnson, Woli Arole, Bisola Ayeola, Kemi Afolabi, Tunji Bamishigbin, Yinka Akanbi, Kalu Ikeagwu, Jibola Dabo, Femi Durojaiye, Kenny blaq, Judith Audu, Adeyemi Motunrayo, and Victor Oyebode.

  • TADE OGIDAN WRAPS UP ‘GOLD STATUE’ FILMING

    WEEKS after hitting location for the shoot of highly anticipated movie, Gold Statue, OGD Pictures, owned by award winning filmmaker, Tade Ogidan, has wrapped up the Nigerian shoot of the movie.

    Shot in partnership with Solution Media and Infotech Limited, the world class production will also be filmed in will be filmed in other locations including Dubai and London.

    Speaking on the filming so far, Ogidan said that it was highly successful, crediting its success to critical planning and meticulous execution.

    “So far, the filming has been highly successful. We worked with a very professional team so we were able to forestall every setback. I would like to commend my team for the professionalism and the cast also were cooperative. In other to achieve perfection, we have brought together a couple of co-producers on this project,” he said.

    Also speaking on the project, comedian and actor, Alibaba Akpobome said that the storyline and the interpretations will open viewers’ eyes to a different kind of understanding of the prison system and how people get there.

    “We are targeting December for the release. We are going to plan prison tours and it means that after we’re done with all of that, we will tell you when the film will come out. However, we will not be rushing out into cinemas,” he stated.

    Gold Statue is a comedy adventure drama that follows two young men, Wale (Gabriel Afolayan) and Chike (Kunle Remi) who embark on a search for a statuette believed to have been a deity inherited by their generation.

    Ogidan further revealed that the plan is also to premiere the movie in key film festivals across the globe, as well as private premieres in Nigeria.

  • TADE OGIDAN: Why I’m shooting a prison movie

    TADE OGIDAN: Why I’m shooting a prison movie

    After almost a decade-long hiatus, celebrated filmmaker Tade Ogidan has returned with a production titled Gold Statue. He speaks with OVWE MEDEME on his timeout and plans for the future. 

    WHY have you decided to return to moviemaking?

    One of the strong reasons that influenced my decision to return is that we’ve got more screens that we are going to be able to take our projects to. We’ve got the right kind of publicity and we can achieve something good with all of that.

    Why a prison movie?

    I don’t do the norm. The kind of stories I own, I need to start to execute them. And that’s one of the challenges I had faced. I sincerely don’t have simple films. I don’t know how to reason like that. I think in such a way that I put myself in the shoes of the viewers. What would engage that viewer? Those are the kinds of topics I do and that they would remember. That’s it for me.

    So, a lot of the kind of stories I create come in such mould. They are not the kinds of things you wake up and say let’s start to shoot tomorrow. You will plan, you will think. This movie has been there. The Bank of Industry was going to come on board. Everybody who has ever listened to this project admits that it is different. And they start asking how we would achieve that. See, it goes beyond the prison.

    Are you saying BoI backed out because it was a difficult project?

    No, they didn’t back out. What happened was that I then didn’t have to move in that direction anymore. In fact, I already had some kind of approval from them.

    Those years that you were away, what kept you busy?

    One is multitalented. I make documentaries, I make TV commercials. I did different video projects that are really first class. It may not be designed to come on TV. It is not about how soon you get these things out. It is about how well. Believe me, this is the kind of film you will want to watch again and again. It is fun, it is full of suspense, it is full of music. It is just crazy.

    What inspired your choice of cast?

    It’s a large cast. I hadn’t done anything movie-related for quite a while. You see, you’re getting older and I’ve got so many people saying I haven’t given them anything to do, or that they haven’t appeared in my projects.

    As I said, it is just about having fun with them. If it is about paying them what their real worth would be, we probably would never shoot the film; maybe not now. But everybody is pretty excited to be a part of it. It’s like bringing my friends together, together with a new generation of actors and comedians and even the crew, and then driving them and milking them to deliver in a different mould. I mean, we shot with Gabriel Afolayan and Kunle Rhemmy and in fact, we’ve been cracking up. It’s a fun cast and we are waiting to just go out and blow the minds of everybody.

    Are you back to stay or you’ll disappear again after this?

    (Laughs) As I said, I can’t produce a bunch of movies in a year. It’s not practical. The kind of stories I have, they need you to calm down, they need you to research, they need you to do the right things and those are the things that make whatever movies I make work.

    Anybody else can just take some of those things and make total nonsense out of it. The story would still be told but the execution would not come out nice. So, we believe that this would do well and it would lead to another and another and another.

    How frequent would that be, especially given the fast-paced nature of the Nigerian movie industry?

    We’ll see, but we actually even believe very strongly that this movie is going to have a sequel.

    Do you intend to serialise it?

    You want to kill us with wahala? (Laughs)

    What was your budget?

    Our budget is secret but honestly speaking, it is huge and we are running a lot of cost because we have world class equipments and all the other logistics. A lot of people don’t go through these.

    People have said let’s go to a prison and shoot, but we do not have any prison that was constructed with cameras in mind, so we are not going to be able to shoot the way we want. I want to be able to track aerial shots across different cells. That’s what we get when we are shooting with an appropriate studio. I know a lot of things shall happen. The marketing team is awesome and everybody wants it to succeed.

    They hear the story and they are amazed. In fact, we had finished casting and people were still suggesting names. We got to the point where some of our star friends actually just exist as pictures on walls. We’ve got a few of the big stars who don’t even say a line. But that’s the fun of it.

  • Life WITH ABOUNCE…

    Life WITH ABOUNCE…

    Nollywood actress, Yvonne Jegede-Fawole made headlines earlier in the year when she wedded music maker and actor, Olakunle Fawole, aka Abounce, a move which she says she doesn’t regret. OVWE MEDEME caught up with her on the set of Tade Ogidan’s new movie, Gold Statue where she talks about marriage, career and relationship with her mother in-law, the late Bukky Ajayi.

    WHAT role do you play in this movie?

    I play the role of Aliyah. She’s a prisoner in the film.

    How challenging do you think it would be?

    We are about to start filming Aliyah’s part but it’s a character that is full of fun, full of life. Inasmuch as she’s a prisoner, she’s also a spoilt kid. So she found herself in jail and her parents still pushed one or two buttons, know the right people to talk to and got her the most comfortable cell ever. She’s quite the fun character because there’s partying in her cell, there’s drinking, there’s booze and everything. It is fun and I like fun.

    You seem to like the role a lot

    I do. I’m excited I’m on this project.

    Is it similar to something you’ve done before?

    No, it’s not. I have played the role of a prisoner in a movie before, but a prisoner that has been bubbling? No. So I can’t wait to explore.

    So what are you looking forward to?

    I’m looking forward to this film being the biggest ever in the whole of Africa because this is Tade Ogidan’s job. Expect very standard, world class production. And I assure you, it would blow your mind.

    How did you get cast for the role?

    I know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. That’s how I got cast for it (Laughs). Tade Ogidan is very close to my late mother in-law, so if he’s shooting the film and he doesn’t cast me, there will be war. Uncle T knows that. I’ll just kill him, slowly.

    Talking about your mother in-law, when she passed, you were very emotional. How close were you to her?

    We were very close. I mean, I dated my husband for about 12 years and we were pretty much very close. I used to go over to the house and see her loads and loads of times.

    How much of her influence is reflected in what you do?

    She’s influenced me so much. First of all, discipline on set is one thing she always talks to me about. Secondly, she always reminded me to be a person which is one thing she has imbibed in my husband which makes life easier for me because being good has to flow easy through you. You don’t have to think about it, you don’t have to stress about it.

    And she was that kind of person, she was just good. She was a mother to every person in the street; she was a mother on set. She was a mother to whoever it is, no matter where you are from. So basically, when you find people like that, which is very rare in life, when you find them anywhere, hold them close.

    He was on the set too. Where there awkward moments?

    No, there weren’t any awkward moments. Coincidentally, I first met my husband on set actually, on a Tade Ogidan’s production. That was 14 years ago. At that moment, we didn’t know each other. We just acted and left. So right now, when we are acting together, there is no awkward moment between us. And then again, we do a lot of acting at home. We play a lot of roles and everything.

    Role playing the way we know it?

    Yes, role playing the way you know it (laughs). Please, I didn’t say that.

    What is life with Abounce like?

    Life with him is easy. He’s a music producer but he’s more of an actor right now. Life with him is very easy. He’s easygoing, he’s smooth. It’s just easy basically. I don’t know any other word to qualify it.

    Between dating and getting married, did you face any difference?

    There’s no difference. It’s the same thing. He’s the same Gee. He’s my Gee.

    What was the attraction for you?

    His intelligence was what actually attracted me to him. He’s smart, he’s funny. He’s easy going. He doesn’t take life too seriously. He laughs from the depth of his heart, if you know what I mean. And most importantly, he’s a human being. He treats everybody equally.

    Does the job come between you sometimes?

    No it does not. We don’t see ourselves as celebrities when we are together. We are just husband and wive and we relate as friends.

  • Tade Ogidan returns with ‘Gold Statue’

    Tade Ogidan returns with ‘Gold Statue’

    OGD Pictures, in partnership with Solution Media and Infotech Limited, have teamed up to produce a world class movie titled Gold Statue.

    Gold Statue, according to the CEO of OGD Pictures, Tade Ogidan, will be filmed in four various locations; Lagos, Ilesha, Dubai and London. The plan is also to premiere it in key film festivals across the globe, as well as private premieres in Nigeria.

    Speaking on the project, Ogidan described it as an adventure comedy that i have been piecing together for a while. And every time one got close to getting it done, i was held back. We need to build things well. i started to piece the team together

    In other to achieve perfection, we have brought together a couple of co-producers on this project including Alibaba, Simi Opeoluwa, Sola Sobowale and others.

    “Expect a bit of prison stuff in it and you will be amazed at the research that has gone in to this. It’s a partnership that we believe will be an awesome outing and that’s really what is important,” he said.

    Also speaking, one of the lead casts, Gabriel Afolayan, who plays Wale in the movie, says that the movie is one to watch out for.

    “It is from Tade Ogidan so you should know that you can’t have it any less. It is a movie about cross values, the old values versus the new,” Afolayan said.

    The movie is a comedy adventure drama that follows the adventure of two young men, Wale (Gabriel Afolayan) and Chike (Kunle Rhemmy) in search of a gold statue. It centres on the length these two men can go to acquire the statue believed to have been a deity.

    Artistes featured in the movie include Richard Mofe Damijo, Alibaba, Sola Sobowale, Gabriel Afolayan, Kunle Rhemmy, Rycardo Agbor, Norbert Young, Kelvin Ikeduba, Olakunle Fawole, Segun Arinze, Tina Mba, Bisola Aiyeola, Yvonne Jegede, Etinosa Idemudia, Judith Audu, Greg Ojefua, Neale Atkinson, Kingsley Aroole, and other notable actors.

  • MY RELATIONSHIP WITH LATE BUKKY AJAYI –TADE OGIDAN

    MY RELATIONSHIP WITH LATE BUKKY AJAYI –TADE OGIDAN

    MANY have had encounter with the late veteran actress, Zainab Bukky Ajayi, but acclaimed Nollywood producer, Tade Ogidan, is one of those who had the opportunity to work closely with the icon.

    Simply known as OGD, the movie maker revealed that his relationship with the late Bukky Ajayi goes beyond business.

    Speaking to The Nation, he stated that when he got the news, that the deceased had passed on, he could not shed tears because he had done that a day before, having paid a visit to her.

    “When I got the news, I didn’t shed any more tears, because I had done that earlier. I quickly rushed down to her place. While they were trying to clean her up for the burial, they were guiding people from coming near the corpse, but I told them, that was not possible. Ni bo, ko le sele. She is my aunty. So I quickly helped to cover her up, after I had gone into her wardrobe to look for a befitting cloth,” he recounts.

    Aunty Bukky, as she is fondly called by OGD, was said to have gone to lot of places with the producer; including his home town.

    “When we travel abroad together, she will say she shouldn’t have come with me. Tade o fe pa mi, mo ba ma te le.  She also helps to clean up on set, after everyone had left. That is how humble she is. I am yet to inform my parents that she has passed on,” he said, describing her as a handful.

  • The CEO: Ogidan excited about Afolayan’s creativity

    The CEO: Ogidan excited about Afolayan’s creativity

    A veteran’s account of Kunle Afolayan’s current film project, The CEO, has indicated that another blockbuster movie is about to come out of Nigeria.

    Conveying is impression via a private message sent to the filmmaker on Thursday, Nigerian screenwriter, cinematographer, film director and producer Tade Ogidan said: “I woke up quite excited about the story telling strength and the creative and technical qualities in the CEO movie. You have done your dad proud with each new project. You have done your family proud. You have done your industry proud. You have done your fore bearers in the film industry proud. You will do your nation and the rest of Africa proud, especially with this new project, CEO. I am sincerely proud of you.”

    OGD as he is fondly called inked his excitement, after seeing a rough cut of the pan-African film at Afolayan’s studio on Bayo Kuku Street, Ikeja, Lagos, praising the courage of the filmmaker in the face of the challenges confronting the Nigerian film industry.

    He said: “You are now like a bull that has charged into a chinaware shop of film obstacles. You demolish all the myths, fears and film making challenges with insane dare, grit and unstoppable determination. Now, that is good. God will always make all good things doable for you.”

    Recall that Ogidan expressed similar love to Afolayan when the latter inked a deal with Air France as the airline’s Brand Ambassador. OGD was so excited for Kunle, that he didn’t just call to congratulate the young filmmaker, but staged a surprised soiree in his Surulere home, inviting other celebrities to a cake cutting, as they toasted to the feat recorded by this younger colleague of his.

    Only recently, Afolayan released the trailer of The CEO, kicking off promotions for the pan African movie.

    The CEO is Afolayan’s biggest movie yet, with part funding of N50 million as loan from the much publicised Bank of Industry’s NollyFund.

    With the 2:30 min trailer, first released on Channels TV website, views and downloads had, within 12 hours, hit a million mark on YouTube,  Facebook and other social media platforms, an indication of fans’ eagerness for the cross cultural movie.

    The CEO is coming on the heels of October 1, Afolayan’s psychological thriller and his fourth shot at filmmaking after Irapada, Figurine and Phone Swap.

    Interestingly, Cote d’Ivoire cinema is yearning for a July 2016 release and has sent their terms, coming from the country’s popular distributors, Majestic Cinemas. Afolayan revealed that the film which will be ready before the end of February will be distributed in Nigeria by Silverbird Cinema, just as it is also targeting South Africa’s over 50 cinemas and other African countries.

    He added that preparations are on ground for massive festival routing beginning from the first quarter of this year.