Around and about Nollywood in one week

It’s a new week in February and some events and personalities made headlines. Here is a few pick of the headliners.

A Pip For Nancy Isime, Others From Actors Guild of Nigeria
It was rain of appointments during the week at the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), as the Emeka Rollas led Executives of the AGN announced a number of appointments. Notable Nollywood actors and actresses including Ufuoma McDermott, Grace Ama, Tobi Bakre, Deyemi Okanlawon, Anita Asuoha, Nancy Isime, Ronnie Dikko, Uche Elendu, Gideon Okeke, Alexx Akubo, Carolyn Danjuma, Alex Okoroji, Steve Eboh and Charles Inojie got appointments and received their letters of appointment at an event, which the AGN held during the week to unveil the new appointees, re-launch the Guild’s insurance programme and unveil the veteran actress Joke Jacobs as the first female member of the AGN Board of Trustees.

Actress and show host Nancy Isime was appointed as Director of AGN Business Development, while comedian Anita Asuoha, better known as Real Warri Pikin, was named special adviser on gender equality. Deyemi Okalanwon was appointed Director of Planning and Strategy, while Ronnie Dikko was appointed as the special adviser on sexual harassment.

It was an elated Nancy Isime who took to her social media handles to celebrate her appointment. The Shanty Town star wrote: “Beyond honored to announce that I’ve been appointed by the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) as the Director of AGN Business Development. Thankful to the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Mr President Emeka Rollas and my fellow Actors who deemed me fit for this position. Praying that God gives me the strength and wisdom to perform my duties to the fullest capacity.”

Peace Anyiam-Osigwe

Industry Evening For Peace Anyiam-Osigwe
TRIBUTES poured in torrents at Thursday’s industry evening of tributes organised in honour of the late founder of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) and the Africa Film Academy (AFA) Peace Anyiam-Osigwe who passed on in Lagos on January after a brief illness.

The event was organised by practitioners and stakeholders in the creative industry, but superintended by the Association of Movie Producers (AMP) and the Federation of Nollywood Guilds and Association.

The late Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was until her untimely demise President of both the AMP and the Federation of Guilds and Associations. The event was well attended, as the movers and shakers of the movie industry and the creative industry showed up. Members of the Anyiam-Osigwe family were also represented at the event that closed with a candle light procession.

In a tribute at the event, the Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Adedayo Thomas, described the death of the AMAA founder as a “personal loss,” even as he described Peace Osigwe as a pillar of the industry.

There were tributes from former President of AMP Ralph Nwadike, filmmaker Jetta Amata, Actor Segun Arinze, Veteran actress Joke Silva and the Vice President of AMP Queen Blessing Ebigieson. They all spoke before the remarks by a representative of the Anyiam Osigwe family

Ambassador Isaac Izoya Heads Back To Germany
AWARD Winning Filmmaker and Cultural Ambassador Isaac Izoya was in Nigeria recently to meet with stakeholders and to prepare grounds for the 2023 edition of the Nollywood Film Festival Germany and Ehizoya Golden Entertainment Award, which his Ehizoya Golden Entertainment organises yearly in Germany since 2003.

The founder and President of Ehizoya Golden Entertainment who has since returned to his base in Frankfurt hinted that he has fruitful meetings with various levels of industry stakeholders regarding the successful hosting of the 2023 edition of the film festival and entertainment award. The cultural ambassador also mentioned that he took time to sign the condolence register opened in honour of the late founder of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) before he jetted back to Germany.

A notable cultural promoter, the Edo state born entertainment promoter has remained committed in his effort to promote, project and propagate the arts, culture and cinema endowments of Nigeria.

Ambassador Izoya has featured in, produced and premiered Nollywood films in Germany and also toured several cities in nine European countries extensively. Indeed, Izoya has been at this effort to promote Nigeria and Africa’s rich cultural heritage and engender global integration since 2003. The festival and award will hold on July 28 and 29 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Obi Emelonye Heads Coal City Film Festival 2023 Jury
AWARD Winning Filmmaker Obi Emelonye is Head of the Jury of the third edition of the Enugu State domiciled Coal City International Film Festival. The festibal is scheduled to hold as from March 23 through to March 25 in Enugu, the capital of Enugu State, Nigeria.

Emelonye, best known for Last Flight To Abuja and Mirror Boy is head of the jury that has other accomplished practitioners such as Mildred Okwo, Emem Isong, Shaibu Husseini and Judith Audu as members. The jury has been meeting since their inauguration in January to decide winners of the different award categories of the third edition, which is to be held under the theme Film Meets Tech.

Founder of the festival Uche Agbo explained that the African tech industry is fast evolving into a multi-billion dollars business, with many native founders and developers building an interesting ecosystem with lots of potentials, hence the decision of the festival team to explore the impact of technology on film. With a line-up of programmes that include master classes, panel discussions, movie screenings, parties, city tour, palm wine and bush meat roundtabl, award and fun night, Agbo, a prolific movie producer and director hinted that access to funding, preparing pitch decks, film business proposals, available film markets, and what to expect in most acquisition companies’ quality control are all part of the discussions that will take place in Coal City Film Festival 2023. Information on the festival can be sourced at www.coalcityfilmfestival.com

Nkiru Sylvanus

Nkiru Sylvanus Is Still ‘Honeymooning’
‘Please don’t disturb…they are honeymooning’. That was the response Moviedom got from a bird that is very close to the sultry actress Nkiru Sylvanus (Now Nkiru Richie Sammy) when Moviedom tried to reach the actress who is popular as ‘ble ble’ to find out if she is back to the turf after the colourful wedding ceremony to her heartthrob which took place on January 15.

The long and short of the brief conversation with the bird is that the fair skinned and long standing actress and her husband are still on honeymoon and according to the bird, it “will take some time.”

The actress of vast credit and former Special Adviser to the Imo State Governor during the tenure of Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha and her handsome lover Richie Sammy tied the knot in a beautiful white wedding ceremony on January 15. All roads had on that day led to Abia state where Nkiru decided to quit the unofficial club of Nollywood spinsters. Fans say they are waiting patiently to have her return to the turf for more screen action.