Andy Boyo, Andy Amenechi, Chika Onu, others inducted into CCFF Hall Of Fame

Filmaker and Patron of the Directors Guild of Nigeria, Andy Boyo was among four other distinguished movie personalities that were adopted into the Coal City Film Festival Hall of Fame at the grand finale of the three day long festival, which held last Saturday, at Vee Ai-Pee Event Centre, New Haven Enugu.

Apart from producing and directing movies, Uncle Boyo as younger colleagues refer to him, has supported and funded a number of initiatives aimed at structuring and professionalising the Nollywood industry. With investment in Oil and gas, the filmmaker and President of Diamond Pictures Limited who is also a highlifist was in Enugu to be inducted into the CCFF hall of fame.

Others that were inducted into the hall of fame of the CCFF that is in its second edition are the filmmaker and film scholar Chika Christian Onu, Lady Bennie Mordi and the veteran filmmaker Andrew Amenechi, who is popular as Andy Amenechi.

Chika Onu directed the second diet of the phenomenon two part Nollywood movie Living in Bondage. The legendary Chris Obi Rapu directed the first diet, although he used the pseudonym Vic Mordi, as he was then a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

The second edition of CCF attracted a large crowd of key Nollywood personalities, including the veteran actor Zack Orji, Charles Inojie, President of Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) Victor Okhai, the actress Uchenna Nnanna, the filmmaker Ugezu Jideofor Ugezu, the Director General of the National Film and Censors Board Adedayo Thomas and the documentarist Perekeme Odion. It featured workshops, master classes, film screenings, panel discussions and award/gala night. There was a city tour and the new introductions—palm wine and bush meat roundtable, where attendees were served local delicacies with local ogene music entertaining them.

At the gala night, awards were presented to winners of CCFF 2022. The best male actor award went to Mike Uchegbu (Laurie), while Joan Agaba received the crest for the best female act for the movie Stain. Other winners of CCFF are Dream Chaser (Student Film), Ije (Best Short Film), Uduak-Obong Patrick in Higher Crime (Best Director) and the documentary film Palm For Crude got the award for the documentary category.

The movie Nne-ka won the CCFF African Indigenous Language Film award, while Edeleyo and Eagle Wings received the CCFF special recognition award and best overall feature film award respectively. The CCFF lifetime achievers award for 2022 went to Amb. Chief Chika Okpala, MFR, Fta. Founder and CEO of CCFF Uche Agbo disclosed that the third edition of the festival would hold same month in 2023.

“We pulled this through in spite of the fact that we didn’t get as much support as we envisaged. Next year will be better and sweeter,” he enthused.