Around and about Nollywood in one week

Some Nollywood practitioners made headlines within their sphere of influence during the week. Here is a pick of some of the headliners….

Lizzy Anjorin

That Lizzy Anjorin ‘26th’ Birthday Teaser
NOTABLE Actress Liz Anjorin buzzed up social media during the week when she claimed on Tuesday that she had just turned ‘26’. Although it was clear that she was teasing her followers on Instagram, some of her over one million followers on Instagram actually congratulated her for turning ‘26’ in the comment section of the post. But some of her colleagues like Yomi Fabiyi, Mercy Aigbe and Toyin Abraham who got the joke that she was merely teasing her fans, simply wished her well in the comment section. Liz who has continued to keep her fans guessing her age, had captioned the post thus: “ALHAMDULILAHI I AM +1 TODAY. On this birthday, I’d like to leave an everlasting imprint on the world by performing great actions. As I become older, I understand how important living and appreciating life is. Thank you, God, for blessing me with such a beautiful life. There have been many ups and downs in life, but I am proud of how strong I have been through all of this. As I clock 26 yrs. today don’t forget we have 24 hours 30% discount on all our products most especially fabrics.” Born Elizabeth Aishat Anjorin in Badary, Lagos State and Known for Kofo the First Lady (2014), The Dance Movie Project (2016) and Arewa ejo (2009), the actress has always used the occasion of her birthday to announce a 30% discount on all products in her retail shop.

Mykel Parish Is Ready With Athens Edition Of Nollywood Travel Film Festival
FOUNDER and Executive Director of Nollywood Travel Film Festival Mykel Parish Ajaere has announced the hosting of the 2nd edition of the Nollywood Travel Film Festival holding in May in Athens, Greece. Ajaere made the disclosure at the Greece Embassy in Abuja where the Greece Ambassador to Nigeria, Ioannis Plotas pledged to support Nigeria Film and entertainment industry. The Ambassador also pledged to assist Nigeria in development of agricultural sector and other areas of mutual benefit. The Greece envoy commended the NTFF founder and said that the film industry plays a significant role in bringing different countries together and that through the event, the existing relationship between Greece and Nigeria would be deepened and strengthened. “I will like to praise you for this kind of initiative, and we reassure you that the Embassy will always be here to help to strengthen our bilateral relations further. The essential ingredients for that are the cultural ties between our two countries. Thank you for taking the Nollywood Travel Film Festival to Greece. For us, the event is a priority and there a cultural tie between the two countries which will be greatly impacted through this film festival,” he said. The NTFF founder who was accompanied on the visit to the Greece Ambassador by the President of Directors Guild of Nigeria Victor Okhai had earlier hinted that the objectives of the film festival in Greece is aimed at strengthening collaboration between host country and Nigeria’s screen industry in area of film and high-end TV Co-production between the countries. According to Ajaere, the festival is focused on screening Nollywood films that would not only be shown in Diaspora but create new opportunities for practitioners in the industry. High point of the event will be
the Greece-Nigeria Film Awards Night, which will recognize: the best Actor, best Actress, best Short Film, best Online content creator and best Cinematography. NTTF has been held in cities such as Atlanta, Hamburg, Athens, London, Berlin, New York, Glasgow, Helsinki, Oslo, Toronto, and Dublin.

Kunle and Mum

Kunle Afolayan Hints On Party For Mum At 80
THOSE who know notable filmmaker Kunle Afolayan say that they can attest that he walks his talk. So, when he wrote ‘party loading’ in a terse message he sent to celebrate his mum on her 80th birthday, his friends and colleagues just knew that it will not be long before the filmmaker known for several hits including ‘Citation’, ‘Irapada’, ‘October 1st’ and ‘Phone Swap’ calls a loud party to celebrate Mama Afolayan. Mama Afolayan turned 80 on Monday. Sharing photos of his mother on his Instagram account Afoloyan wrote: “Maami, Omoladun Ayanladun Afolayan née Ogunrinde turned 80 years. We thank God for his goodness and mercies so far. Party loading’’. Here is wishing Mama a happy birthday.

Mo Bimpe Returns To Instagram To Mark Birthday
AFTER weeks of ‘no post’ on Instagram, Actress Adebimpe Oyebade aka Mo Bimpe returned during the week to share photos and videos from her 29th birthday party. The actress and wife of the popular actor Lateef Adedimeji turned 29 on March 23. The video that the actress shared revealed her husband and a few of her colleagues and friends eating and winning at a quiet birthday gig. The actress has captioned the photo and videos thus: “This year was a blast! I spent the day with the people who genuinely love and support me… My family, friends/colleagues, my CEOs & my adorable fans’’. The actress followed the post with an apology to her fans for being off Instagram. The pretty actress wrote: “Dear IG fam, sorry for the late post… I’ve been on a break from Instagram. So now that I’m back I decided to share some of the memories here. Enjoy’’.

Light Dims on Movie Producer Chinwe Egwuagu
NOLLYWOOD was thrown into deep mourning when news broke that notable movie producer Chinwe Egwuagu has passed on. The Mass Communication graduate of Institute of Management and Technology, IMT, Enugu reportedly died on March 28, 2023. Known for her critically acclaimed movie ‘Mr. and Mrs’, the very reserved Chinwe reportedly died in the United States from complications arising from cancer. According to close family sources, the movie producer had been in the USA receiving treatment. A native from Ukpo, in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, Chinwe who is also known for producing Mr & Mrs: Chapter Two (2017) and Ayaka (2016) has for several years been off the scene.

Her last post on twitter was on December 18 where she prayed thus: ‘’May God destroy any person(s) planning Christmas mass killing’. Chinwe made another post on Facebook on January 11 and it was to mourn the founder of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) Peace Anyiam Osigwe. There is no information yet as to when the gap-toothed movie producer will be buried.