The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Victor Akande

  • Loud start for Nigeria at TIFF …as global attention shifts to Lagos movies

    The historic Elgin Theatre was a colourful sight, as the cast and crew of ‘The Wedding Party‘ comprising Kemi Adetiba, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Banky W., Iretiola Doyle, Sola Sobowale, Adesua Etomi, Zainab Balogun, Beverly Naya and Mo Abudu rocked the red carpet before and after the screening of the romcom.

    Incidentally, the film of the night, ‘The WeddingParty‘, directed by Kemi Adetiba, is among the eight Nigerian films that have been selected by the festival through its City-to-City programme, profiling Lagos this year.

    This fall, Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, TIFF, had programmed the selection from Africa and the Middle East. Thus, there were other artistes and film promoters of the other seven films from Nigeria, which include: ’76 by Izu Ojukwu; ’93 Days by Steve Gukas; ‘GreenWhite Green’ by Abba Makama; ‘Just Not Married‘ by Uduak-Obong Patrick;  ‘Okafor’s Law‘ by Omoni Oboli and ‘Oko Ashewo‘ (Taxi Driver) by Daniel Emeke Oriahi.

    The role call also had OC Ukeje and Kunle Afolayan, who is being profiled by the festival as an exemplary model of filmmaking from Nigeria, even as his latest film, ‘The CEO‘, has been scheduled for an industry screening.

    The night showed so much promise for the next 10 days, as Bailey, David Oyelowo, a special guest and notable British-Nigerian actor, and Steve Ayorinde, Lagos State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, led the opening ceremony with remarkable speeches that captured the essence of Nigeria’s participation at this year’s event.

     “We have been doing City-to-City for many years, featuring cities like London, Seoul, Athens, Mumbai, Buenos Aires, Istanbul and Tel Aviv. But then, it became obvious that the place to go next is Lagos. Although we have been having Nigerian films at the festival like Abeni by Tunde Kelani andHalf of a Yellow Sun by Biyi Bandele, we have not really given the kind of attention that filmmaking from Nigeria deserves,” said Bailey.

    He further said: “When the City- to City discussion came up, we thought of the remarkable and strong productions, incredible artistes and great talents based in Lagos as well as the new generation of filmmakers whom we thought we should introduce to the international audience. For these reasons, we said this year, it has to be Lagos.

    “One of the first people that I told is an actor who is one of the best actors working anywhere on the planet earth, given that he has shown the range of his skill as an actor-he is David Oyelowo of Selma.”

    With this, he introduced Oyelowo whose name immediately called for a standing ovation.

    “My people!” David Oyelowo thundered with excitement, keeping the applause going.

    He said: “I feel great standing in the presence of people who can call my name correctly. I stand before you as David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo,” stressing the right pronunciation.

    “My dad gets worried sometimes about how my name is pronounced and he would tell them that they have to call it like the town crier… Oye-Oye-Oyelowo. This is one of the moments I must tell you that I am a very proud Nigerian. We are story tellers by nature. We have been telling stories traditionally, comically and poetically.  Tonight, I would tell you the reason I have so much confidence in what is happening with Nollywood. The confidence I have as an actor came from my Nigerian heritage. I lived in Nigeria for seven year from the age six to 13. And something I learnt there was how to walk into any situation as they came. We don’t know how to be shy. We don’t know how to walk into a room sideways. Working as an actor in the UK, we get so formal with the lines when we go for auditions.  But in Naija, we say… ‘‘just give me the part now, let me play it.’’

    “People say Nollywood is number two or three, but I say we are going to be number  one.’’

    And when it was the turn of the leader of the Lagos State delegation to speak, his speech captured the essence of Nigeria’s representation at the festival.

    He said: “I bring you good tidings from Lagos State and particularly from the governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. Lagos, as you know, is the home of Nollywood. Without Nollywood, there won’t be contemporary Lagos and without Lagos, there won’t be Nollywood. So, the two have worked together.”

    He recalled that 10 years ago, Toronto recognised Lagos and picked a film by Tunde Kelani titled Abeni to come to Toronto.

    “10 years ago, there was only one journalist who was here and only one government official because the other government officials couldn’t get visas to come. But tonight, and throughout this festival, Toronto will see that Lagos is here. Because the industry has grown and that is why Lagos State government in particular and Nigeria in general is very proud of this opportunity,” he added.

    Ayorinde hinted that Lagos is a 21-million-people state, “which means that it is home to the largest number of black people anywhere in the world.”

    According to him, “If Lagos were to be a country on its own, it would be the fifth largest economy in the entire world – that says something about its resources. Lagos wouldn’t be what it is without the creative industry like Nollywood. Therefore, we are proud that Lagos is the first city in Africa that is the focus of the City-to-City programme. What can I say other than to congratulate Cameron Bailey and his team for a job well done and for believing in Nollywood.  I also congratulate Kemi Adetiba, the director of tonight’s film,  Mo Abudu and the entire team, Kene Mkparu and all other people behind this film. Also, I congratulate all the other directors and people behind the other eight films that will be shown throughout the festival. What will not be in doubt, by the time this festival ends, is that Nollywood has arrived and this is the renaissance that African cinema needs.”

  • TIFF: …And ‘The wedding Party’ falls short of expectations

    Last night, the gate opened for the Nigerian contingent to show their stuff to the world, having been hugely represented at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). But quite disappointingly, the country began her showcase of the eight selected films for the festival’s ‘opportunistic’ platform called City-to-City focus with a noisy film that portrays the awry part of its people.

    That film, ‘The Wedding Party‘, directed by Kemi Adetiba, is definitely not the kind for Toronto or any A-list film festival. Therefore,  its promoters should have known better not to show it to a curious and critical audience at this time of Nollywood redefinition, let alone lead the way for the other seven Nigerian films.

    I don’t know where Kemi Adetiba is coming from, save for her music video background, but that outing for The Wedding Party was like putting her bad foot forward. Same goes for other promoters of the movie who could have saved that commercial-inclined production for some class of the Nigerian audience with sour comic taste.

    Not only is ‘The Wedding Party‘ noisy in the real sense of the word, it falls short of sound quality that further pushes it down the drain. And I think that the producers could have helped the audience with some English subtitle, going by the garbled accent of some cast and an overbearing use of sound track.

    As much as comedies tend to defy some rules of realism in filmmaking, the producers pushed the bar too far by making a clown of the entire cast. A typical Lagos wedding, by the Yoruba and Igbo, must be some hard drug carnival that makes the entire city go crazy. I’m tempted to think that people merely acted themselves in that movie, with a passive directorial input. What more can you get from a star-studded film like ‘The Wedding Party“?

    However, if there were actors who held their own, it would be the likes of R.M.D and Iretiola Doyle, Adesua Etomi and Banky W. The producers could have simply made slapstick of the whole drama, because ‘The Wedding Party‘ does not strike the chord of chaotic decency it tries to portray.

  • This is for real, says actress Chika Chukwu about her wedding

    This is for real, says actress Chika Chukwu about her wedding

    Actress and filmmaker, Chika Chukwu talks about her recent absence from Nigeria, rumored wedding, and future plans in a recent chat with VICTOR AKANDE. Excerpts;
    You were seen in a wedding dress in London, and you were thought to be shooting a film. How true is this?
    The pictures of me at a wedding in London aren’t from a film shoot and no film crew was present attending either. Yes, I got married August last year.
    People thought you stayed too long in London. If the above was you in a real life wedding, is marriage about to make you relocate from Nigeria?
    Oh, I went to school and worked in London plus I have family there, so I’ve often stayed for months at a time in the past. Well, as we just got married, my husband and I made the decision to spend the next few months together before we plunge back into our work lives.  I mostly wanted to stay for a while, as he’s not part of the Nollywood entertainment scene. We do our best to balance our lives as a couple. I travel often back and forth London – Lagos anyway so no change there in terms of relocating.
    Who is the lucky man and how did you two meet?
    I guess you can say we are both very happy and lucky, and in reference to how we met let’s just say my husband found me. His name is Brian Ahern – he is an Irish guy who lives in London – he’s not in the entertainment industry.
    Why the choice of an Oyinbo, so to speak?
    We think and feel the same way, we never considered any differences. You know, it never even occurred to me.
    What are the other things that have happened in your life in the last one year that you were away from Nigeria?
    We have so much in common – our interests and values, the things we like, nothing else matters. I found someone who loves me and who in turn I love back, that I believe is most important, plus I am not the first, nor will I be the last black Nigerian woman and actress to marry someone who is a different race, or of a different culture.
  • Bond Emeruwa wins as Audio-Visual Rights chairman

    Bond Emeruwa wins as Audio-Visual Rights chairman

    Notable filmmaker and former president of Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Mr. Bond Emeruwa, has been elected president of Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS), during a keenly contested elections at Excellence Hotel, Ogba, Lagos, on Tuesday.

    Emeruwa polled nine of the 15 directors’ votes to defeat co-founder and interim chairman of the society, Mr. Mahmood Ali-Balogun who had led the board since inception in 2014.

    Norbert Ajaegbu and Prince Jide Kosoko who are amomg the 15 new directors, nominated Emeruwa and Ali-Balogun respectively, for the chairmanship position.

    AVRS is the sole Collective Management Organisation (CMO) for the motion picture industry licensed by the Nigerian Copyright Commission on October 20, 2014. The society’s mandate among others, is the collection of monies on behalf of intellectual property right owners and distribute same to members periodically, as royalty.

    With 264 members of the society and other stakeholders, there were strong indications of the seriousness of the AVRS business at the event which began with an Annual General Meeting (AGM) where the Ali-Balogun led former board gave stewardship of their activities in the last two years before they were formally dissolved.

    The 264 members of the AVRS were represented in persons and proxies at the event which also had potential members and other practitioners. Also present were officials of NCC; co-CMO for the music industry, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) as well as independent observers.

    After the first stage of the elections, which determined the 15 new directors of the board of AVRS, contestants with the most votes include; Jide Kosoko (201), Lilian Amah-Aluko (189), Fidelis Duker (186), Ahmed Sarari (184), Emmanuel Isikaku (179), Sanni Muazu (169), Bond Emeruwa (168), Paul Okoli (166),  Chico Ejiro (165), Mahmood Ali-Balogun (148), Olurotimi Aina-Kushoro (139), Okechukwu Ogunjiofor(135), Anthony Anih (132), Norbert Ajaegbu (127) and Peddie Okao (127).

    Other contestants who fell below the 15 topmost votes are Tunji Bamishigbin (111), Igwe Gabosky (110), Remi Ibinola-Olatunji (105), Patrick Doyle (86), Madu C. Chikwendu (86), Alex Eyengho (71), Chikezie Donatus Nkemdirim (43), Francis Onwochei (16) and Osita Okeke (6).

    The AVRS is considered one of the strongest business platforms of revenue stream for practitions in the movie industry.

    Apart from monies charged commercial users of films and musical videos, the private copy levy is another revenue generator in the digital age. Experts have estimated that the AVRS alone is capable of making about N200 million monthly if and when the private copy levy if implemented in Nigeria.

    The levy is compensation for creators and investors in music, movies and literary works for the loss of revenue through free download of works via gadgets such as MP3s, MP4s, cellphones, memory cards and flash drives, among others.

  • Suspected film pirate nabbed in Lagos

    Suspected film pirate nabbed in Lagos

    • IG orders that case be moved to Abuja
    This may be the beginning of a real legal battle against intellectual property theft, as a suspected pirate, Eze Obasi, on Tuesday, was apprehended in Alaba market, Lagos, following tip off.
    This happened two days after the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during a meeting with stakeholders in the film industry declared war against pirates, “this is totally unacceptable!” he said. “This Administration is determined to fight this scourge, and the good news is that we have the backing of Mr. President.
    Obasi may just be the first of similar cases to be attacked with all seriousness, as the Inspector General of Police (IG), Solomon Arase has ordered the transfer of Obasi to Abuja.
    Arase was acting on the directive of the Minister of Information and Culture, who was contacted by a prominent member of the film industry who craved anonymity.
    Earlier, filmmakers were agitated over the relocation of Obasi, thinking it was another ploy to release the suspect, who has the backing of king pins in the market.
    But the Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and Culture, Williams Adeleye confirmed to The Nation that his boss was indeed aware of the case and had contacted the IG about it.
    Speaking to The Nation at the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC)’s office where he was taken to on Thursday for questioning, Obasi admitted to the crime, saying; “They caught me with pirated movies.”
    Although the NCC officials would not allow our reporter take the picture of the suspect, they let him talk to us at length. He is a man in his early thirties.
    He confessed that he was on his way to make supply, having prepared the waybill.
    One of the major films being processed by obasi as at the time he was caught was Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen’s movie, Invasion 1897. He claimed he is new in the business.
    “It was after Invasion 1897 came out. That was when customers were demanding for it, my customer told me to send him some copies of the film.”
    But contrary to Obasi’s claim, prominent movie marketer, Gabriel Okoye, aka Gabosky, said Obasi had indeed been arrested for similar case in the past.
    You must have been doing the business before for you to know that customers are demanding for Invasion 87, The Nation asked. “Customers do buy different market so they know want, I’ve not been doing it for a long time,” he insisted, but added he was merely dealing in foregn films before now.
    “It was where I went to but that I saw this one (Invasion 1897)  na im I cun buy am to go do waybill,” he said in pigeon.
    How do you do the waybill you share to other people for sale? He replied: “Na only one guy call me I cun go carry am so as I carry am dey go do waybill na em police catch me for road.”
    He said further, his voice unstable: “I don’t know, I am just begging the owners of the movies to temper justice with mercy and I promise that I won’t do it again.  I know that it is not good and it’s not that I really want to be doing this business but it is because of my background and assuming I have enough capital I would gone abroad to start a business or maybe be an importer. I am even planning to further my education because I am just an O’level holder.
    “It’s not that am really doing it to wicked the owners of the movies, am just trying to raise money to further my education. Please I am begging for forgiveness I promise I won’t do it again.”
    Who are the people that supply him these movies? “These people are inside Alaba international market,” he said. “Even though the Alaba government is against it they are doing it secretly, Alaba market no allow this kind thing.”How come they are doing this and the Alaba authorities don’t know? “Maybe they are settling some people. “That means there are corrupt officials among the Alaba government? “I don’t know my brother just help me beg them,” were his words.
    According to Gabosky, CEO of G-Media who was at the NCC office early Thursday, “Invasion 1897 belongs to Lancelot Imasuen and it was released by G-Media on the 15Th of February.”
    He narrated the incidents that led to the arrest of Obasi.
    “Majorly, the film is about Benin Kingdom and the position of the then Oba in1897 and Lancelot went to Benin and solicited with the people and the Oba not to allow the scourge of piracy that is bedeviling the industry to extend there with that film Invasion and they promised. So when this pirate, Eze Obasi way-billed it to somebody in Benin, the person returned it to him saying that he will not because he doesn’t want the curse they will place on whoever pirates the movie in Benin to extend to him.
    “This was how the police at Ojo were contacted and they sprang into action. I asked them what their plan was for the pirate, they said they will take him to court because they can’t hold him for more than 48hours. I know that once they take him to magistrate court they will discharge him and they will go without any more follow up. I had to call the NCC since this copyright issue is on exclusive legislative list which allows the Copyright Commission to be the only legal body to prosecute on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
    ‘This morning the copyright commission followed up by sending an officer to Ojo Cantonment, I also sent my own lawyer to supervise and they brought the guy, Eze Obasi.
    “When they brought him here, I now saw that it was the same guy that we arrested when he pirated October 1 by Kunle Afolayan. When we arrested him then, the Alaba people fought that we couldn’t do anything, it became a problem to remove him from Alaba market so we had to use Alaba market chairman to get him to write an undertaken that he will not do this thing again which he did and we seized the copies of the works from him.
    “So when I saw that he is the same person again I asked him; were you not the one who signed this undertaken? He said yes, he say na devil. I had to come here to oblige them my statement, called Lancelot to oblige them his statement. Let’s see what will happen again because we are handicapped by the kind of law we are using to prosecute these criminals.”
    Gabosky lamented that, “Most of the producers are down, some are dying of hunger because these boys are moving from one clan which is Abakaliki and they are just pirating people’s work, getting richer while the government is not doing anything.”
    He expressed regrets that although the Copyright Commission will charge him to court and then start prosecuting him, “but sometimes they will be on that prosecution while the suspect goes back and continues the business because the fine they give them is nonsense.”
    The NCC official, Mr Joe however declined comments on the matter.
  • Amata wins DGN Presidential election

    Amata wins DGN Presidential election

    Mr Fred Amata has been declared president of the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN).

    It was the third time the filmmaker was giving the post a shot.  Amata polled 48 votes to defeat contenders: Kingsley Omoefe (7), Dickson (3), and Lancelot (43).

    Dickson had earlier withdrawn from the race, lending his support to Amata. The election ends the three days session by the Guild at the Tourist Resort Hotel, Asaba, Delta State.

    Inauguration of the new Exco members for the next two years comes up on Friday night.

  • Police raid Psquare’s Omole residence

    Police raid Psquare’s Omole residence

    Hardly had the dust over the rift between Peter of Psquare and his brothers; Paul and Jude settled when the iconic music family is faced with another messy , bothering on alleged breach of contract.
    Residents of Omole Estate woke up Friday morning to the invasion of the Square Villa, home of Psquare, by policemen, purportedly carrying out a court order to reclaim about N8million said to have been paid to Psquare for a show they eventually turned down.
    A leader of the delegation who spoke exclusively to NET said they were carrying out an order passed by the Ikeja High Court, Lagos. “Psquare were paid over 8million Naira for a show and they didn’t show up for the show. Our job here is to enforce the court injunction and retrieve the cash. Right now they say they are trying to transfer the money and that’s why we are waiting.”
    Although the group neither showed the court injunction to the NET correspondent nor revealed the name of the client, an eye witness said the singers appeared beaten by the situation which attracted a mammoth to their residence.
    Paul was seen driving out of the Sqaure Ville in a tinted BMW, refusing to speak to anyone. There were indications the singer was going to sort out the refund rather than allow further molestation.
    Recall that few days ago, Peter started a Twitter rant, calling it quits with their elder brother and manager, Jude. The matter appeared to subside after Paul took sides with Jude.
    Peter had gone ahead to reveal more bitter secrets, including how Jude hijacked reggae star, Cynthia Morgan from him.
  • Davido/Sophia: Ola Balogun flays Dele Momodu’s reconciliation claims

    Davido/Sophia: Ola Balogun flays Dele Momodu’s reconciliation claims

     
    As the dust raised by the child ‘abduction’ saga involving Hip hop star, David Adekeke,  aka Davido and his erstwhile lover and mother of his child, Sophia Momodu is about to settle,  Nigerian filmmaker, Ola Balogun has continued to probe Dele Momodu’s involvement in the matter.
    Momodu, Publisher of Ovation magazine and Sophia’s uncle had told The Nation on Thursday that the two families, after a ‘marathon meeting’ have decided to ‘move forward together’.
    This development followed the appearance of Davido, on Wednesday, at the office of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and related offences, to clear his name of the child ‘abduction’ accusation brought against him by the mother of his child.
    Davido was said to have denied the allegation of abduction, saying he was only taking the baby to the American Hospital, Dubai, for treatment, following alleged cannabis infection from her mother.
    This was just as Sophia is demanding for the original copy of the purported medical report indicating she that she tested positive to cannabis, as uploaded online by Davido recently.
    Sophia who has denied that she takes cannabis has written the Clina-Lancet Laboratories, demanding the original copy of the result purportedly issued by them. 
    In a letter written by her lawyer, Gbolaga Ajayi, of S. O. Ajayi & Co, and dated January 5, Sophia said she saw the result of the purported medical test for the first time on the Internet.
    “Our client gained knowledge of this pathology report that your company issued concerning her for the first time on the social media on Sunday, January 3, 2016. We have our client’s instruction to request you to promptly furnish her with the original copy of the pathology report, as the said report was never given to her.
    “In view of the sensitive issues that have emanated from the said report, which are still trending on social and print media, we have our client’s instruction that you should also provide a detailed report on the process/procedure that your company adopted in carrying out the medical check on our client, which yielded the report that was issued about our client by your company,” says the letter.
    However, Balogun who, in  letter earlier written to The Nation, took sides with Davido after reading the singer’s account of the incident was decried by Momodu who claimed that the filmmaker’s position on the matter was partial and made out of personal vendetta.
    Momodu described Balogun’s input as a malicious attack on him and Sophia without caring to find out what led to the present debacle. “I had the highest regards for Dr Balogun and had always responded to his calls and text messages to my London line most times. I wish to apologise to him publicly if I have not been able to attend to his certain demands but it is regrettable that he would retaliate through this vengeful manner,” he said.
    According Momodu, “It is disheartening that while many well-meaning Nigerians have stepped in to intervene in the face-off between music superstar Mr. David Adeleke, aka DAVIDO, and the mother of his baby Ms Sophia Momodu, my cousin, a senior citizen and film-maker, Dr Ola Balogun, has chosen to cast aspersions on me for reasons best known to both of us.”
    Feeling slighted, Balogun, in another letter to The Nation wants Momodu to come out clear on his suggestive statement, saying; “I am not at all amused by Dele Momodu’s insinuation that I am somehow engaged in some kind of vendetta against him…I hereby challenge Mr. Dele Momodu to PLEASE publish for public consumption whatever he claims are “demands” that I supposedly addressed to him.”
    Insisting that the Momodus have no have no right to demand being carried-along in the travel plans and purported treatment of the child, Imade, Balogon said, “I note that he has so far failed to produce any evidence that he or his wife have ever made any contribution in cash or kind to young Imade’s upkeep.
    “The issue is: What gives Mr. and Mrs Dele Momodu the right to intervene in the life of a child whose upbringing and welfare they have never been known to make any contribution to?
    “Dele Momodu should please address this central issue and stop throwing around meaningless phrases like “family reconciliation”.
    “Who is reconciling who and for WHAT purpose?”
    Meanwhile, it is not clear yet, whether or not the litigations will be dropped following the recent family intervention, as Momodu said he couldn’t spell out details yet because, according to him, “we need to clear out some cobwebs.” 
  • Kunle Afolayan is Peugeot’s new brand ambassador

    Kunle Afolayan is Peugeot’s new brand ambassador

    It was another moment of glory for ace filmmaker and actor, Kunle Afolayan, who yesterday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN), as the brand’s new ambassador.
    The ceremony commemorates the company’s exclusive unveiling of the new Peugeot 508 model at the NAF Conference Center and Suites, Ahmadu Bello Way, Kado, Abuja.
    Spotting a six piece Agbada, Afolayan looked every inch a Hausa man, as he signed the agreement with the company’s MD/CEO, Mr. Ibrahim Dutsinma Boyi, at the event attended by select friends and clients of the company.
    Afolayan attended the event with his partner, Seun Soyinka uploaded photos from the event on his Facebook page, saying; “The unveiling of the new Peugeot 508, and I was also officially unveiled as Brand Ambassador for Peugeot. I was presented with a brand new car. What a way to end the year… Lord, I thank you.”
    According to Boyi, the partnership became important to showcase outstanding and complete alignment of the two brands; Afolayan and the new Peugeot, which are of international standard.
    “I am happy to announce that in Mr. Afolayan’s next movie, The CEO, Peugeot 508 will be prominently featured as one of the vehicles. Already Afolayan is an Ambassador of Air France so the choice is not accidental, but a well thought of decision,” said Boyi who added that, “Afolayan became an internationally accepted brand, thus the organization was excited to sign the partnership to promote both brands.
    “The car is fully assembled in Kaduna, Nigeria. After completion of the 508 brand, the quality standard recorded complied 100 per cent with the quality standard of Peugeot factory, France. It is based on global quality standard of the Peugeot brand,” Boyi added.
    In his remarks, the foremost movie producer lauded the gesture, saying it meant a lot to the entertainment industry.
    He said it would open vista of opportunities and more partnerships with the corporate world.
    “It means production value will always be at the top, for a French company to want to associate with a local brand in Nigeria, they must be sure the brand and quality of your brand can compete with international standards,” he said, referring to his partnership with Air France.    
    Afolayan disclosed that he had earlier reached out to Peugeot before they started shooting his new movie to solely to promote local contents in the nation.
    “At that point, we couldn’t get someone to give us headway but eventually, they reached out to us. We had a meeting and we are here today. I can tell you that it worth being here and it worth the partnership,” he said, describing the brand as a well balanced, modern car with good air conditioning system.
    Afolayan’s deal with PAN is coming five months after the filmmaker inked an endorsement deal with Air France. The partnership is also hinged on his next movie, The CEO, currently in production.
    The CEO, according to pundits, will further stamp the filmmaker as a promoter of cross cultural stories and pedant for technical details.
  • RMD, three Nigerians to share stage with James Bond heroes

    RMD, three Nigerians to share stage with James Bond heroes

    As global attention continues to shift to African entertainment, Nigerian celebrities such as Richard Mofe Damijo, BasketMouth, Uti Nwachukwu and Kemi Adetiba have been picked by international beer brand, Heineken, to share spotlight with stars of the next installment of James Bond series, Spectre.

    Heineken, which enjoys a large share of the beer market in Nigeria, has also found new brand ambassadors in these entertainers. This, pundits say, is a plus for the artistes, who will be representing Africa at the premiere of the new series.

    The four celebs are expected to join international top shots to Las Vegas, the party capital of the USA, for what has been described as the first-ever selfie from space as part of Heineken’s new campaign, Spyfie.

    RMD and colleagues will be captured alongside big names, including popular Bond Villain, Dave Bautista, in the campaign, scheduled to take place on November 5, 2015, in Nevada, Los Angeles. 

    Promoters say Heineken will create the selfie experience from space using a camera on the Deimos satellite, currently in orbit 600km above the Earth’s surface to take ultra HD imagery of the lucky celebrities including the Nigerian quartet assembled at the Hoover Dam in Las Vegas.

    This is not the first time RMD will be enlisted for international project. The former Commissioner of Culture and Tourism in Delta State was a star attraction in the Guinness 2004 film, Critical Assignment, playing alongside South African Cleveland Mitchell, aka Michael Power, in the flick that featured another Nigerian actor, Bukky Ajayi.  

    “We are very proud of our long-standing association with the James Bond franchise and we are especially proud to partner with ‘Spectre’ on this adventure as we bring the experience to Nigeria with four of the country’s most loved entertainment personalities. Their fans will be able to share the experience with them through their social media pages and it promises to be a lot of fun,” said Senior Brand Manager, Heineken, Ngozi Nkwoji.

    The Heineken Spyfie is one of the activities in the brand’s integrated global “Spectre” campaign, which centers around ‘Spectre’. The campaign also features an exciting TV advertisement featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond in a high-speed boat chase.

    Beginning with 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, Heineken has partnered James Bond since 1997, and Spectre is the seventh consecutive film in the partnership.