Film  

Around and About Nollywood in one week

By Shaibu Husseini

04 March 2023   |   4:00 am

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It is the first week in March and the first week after the keenly contested Presidential election and some screen celebrities are sharing clicks with political stories.

It is the first week in March and the first week after the keenly contested Presidential election and some screen celebrities are sharing clicks with political stories. Here is a pick for the week…

Funke Akindele is back-to-Back Box Office Queen
Leading Nollywood actress, producer and director, Funke Akindele will be contesting the gubernatorial election next Saturday, not just as Deputy Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but also as the reigning Nigeria Box Office queen.

Funke’s movie Battle on Buka Street, which the actress and later day politician produced and released in between electioneering campaign, has set a new Nollywood box office record.

The authoritative Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) has named the movie as Nollywood’s highest-grossing film, recording over N640 million after nine weeks of release.

It took the declaration by CEAN for distributors of the movie FilmOne Entertainment to take to its Instagram page to celebrate the feat.

Filmone wrote: “If the only competition you have is yourself was a person, it is clearly @funkejenifaakindele. What a woman. What a movement. What a movie. What an achievement.

Not once but twice she has set a record and she has broken her record. Ladies and gentlemen we present to you the ‘highest grossing Nollywood movie of all time’ — Battle On Buka Street.

Thank you, Nigeria. We definitely couldn’t have done this without you. @funkejenifaakindele is here to break more records. Thank you to the incredible cast and crew that made this movie possible.”

With the development, the movie has broken the record set previously by her 2021 movie Omo Ghetto: The Saga. Funke who is confident of victory for her party in next Saturday’s gubernatorial poll gets a place in Nollywood history books as the first Nigerian filmmaker to gross over N500 million twice at the Nigerian box office.

Battle on Buka Street premiered on Sunday, December 11, 2022. Directed by Funke Akindele and Tobi Makinde, the movie, which was produced by Funke Akindel’s Scene One Productions, features a stellar cast of Nollywood stars such as Femi Jacobs, Mercy Johnson, Kelvin Ikeduba, Bimbo Ademoye, and Tina Mba, among others.

Dagogo Diminas Here For Mama Diminas
Germany based, Nigeria-born filmmaker Dagogo Diminas was on home soil Abonema, Rivers State, recently to lead the burial activities of Mama Scholastica Kariye Diminas who passed on, in January.

The late Mama Diminas was laid to rest in Port Harcourt on February 11, after a service of songs and reception by the Amanayabo of Abomena that was held between Abomena and Port Harcourt.

The filmmaker had taken to his facebook page on January 30 to announce the passage of Mama Diminas.

Although Dagogo has since returned to Berlin, Germany, the Abonema native had a drink out with friends to mark his birthday on Monday. He had also shared his picture on social media with a caption: “Happy birthday to me. God has given me another year to live, laugh and love and that is the best thing I could receive.

This new year of my life shall be dedicated to my parents. Thank you all for creating a King in me.”

An alumnus of the University of Port Harcourt, Dagogo is best known for his makeup and special effects work in Nollywood films.

His 2013 debut feature, Stigma, received two nominations at the African Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA). His latest effort as co-director Lasgidi, a comedy series, is in post-production.

Georgina had called out Chioma after she (Chioma) released a video from her polling unit on February 25. The video, recorded live, showed some folks attacking her and other voters. The folks also disrupted the voting process until calm was restored.

Shortly after the video, which showed Chioma condemning the attack on her and other voters, Georgina took to her Instagram page to call out Chioma, accusing her of hypocrisy.

In the lengthy post, Georgina had reminded Chioma of how she talked her into not using her handle to instigate political tension during the 2019 election. So, Georgina wondered why Chioma was using her handle to instigate the tension she talked her to stop instigating with her post.

Even though Chioma has since narrated what happened between her and Georgina, fans have continued to express concern about the state of her health after the attack on her. But the fans need not to worry.

There is a confirmation from Chioma’s closest ally, Omoni Oboli that she has smarted the incident of February 25 off. Oboli who revealed that she had to spend the night of February 25 with Chioma, hinted that the actress was doing well and had indeed gotten her groove back.

Writing under a post she shared on Instagram, Oboli wrote: “Spent the night with my one true love. My sister friend, my hero! One of the strongest women I know. She’s ok guys.

I know you all have been worried. Shaken but not defeated. You fought for all of us! You have been for the good of the people! Posterity will forever be kind to you and your child Nkem. We will NEVER forget! I want to say thank you all for your love and support.”

A bird whispered that Chioma is billed to be on a movie set shortly after the March 11 election.

The actor, director and producers has been sharing messages on his timeline, urging Nigerians to vote for peace and not war or destruction irrespective of the outcome of the general elections.

In one of his recent post, which he shared shortly after INEC declared the results of the Presidential election, Chukwu wrote: “They want us to take to the streets to start destroying things, but their children won’t lead the riot. God forbid. We are wise.”

Chukwu has recorded and shared several videos where he has continued to sue for peace.