With ISFF, De’ Guvnor Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen gives back to Moviedom

Outside his prolificity as a motion picture practitioner, if there is one thing that players and informed observers in moviedom have come to know and respect prolific movie producer and director Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen for, it is the fact that the Edo born filmmaker walks his talk. When Imasuen who is popular as De’ Guvnor promised in 2017 to set up a film academy as his contribution towards boosting and strengthening the professional capacity and deliverability of the country’s film industry, he matched his talk with action by partnering with one of the premiere universities in Nigeria —the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State to set up the Benin Film Academy. The academy has since 2017 been offering practical training and exposure including tuition across all key areas of filmmaking including acting, directing, cinematography, and scriptwriting among others.

Inspired by the success story of the academy, Imasuen earlier this year, mooted the idea of establishing a campus based travelling student film festival which he dubbed International Student Film Festival. The accomplished filmmaker walked the talk on the festival by announcing call for entries, constitution of a festival jury chaired by Dr Charles Okwuowulu of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi State, the announcement of October 12 through to October 15 as dates for the festival and the confirmation that Igbinedion University was going to host the maiden edition of the festival.

“I was inspired to float the festival because I have a film school that is affiliated to Igbinedion University,’’ declared Imasuen, director of critically acclaimed Nollywood movies including ‘Issakaba’, and ‘Gbege’. “I love making impact. If I am not directing films, I would be in class sharing knowledge. Recently, I was in Manchester University, United Kingdom, during the African Day Celebration to speak on Nollywood. I do a lot of lectures and public speaking. But to answer your question directly, I looked around and realized that there were several film festivals but no one was wholly dedicated to students. I also felt the relationship between the industry and academics was not strong enough. That was why I created the meeting point where students of Theatre Arts and Mass Communication could have one spot to showcase what they have. Top professionals and young filmmakers in the industry, including staff of Igbinedion University, will also be brought in during the workshops that will be held as part of the festival which is expected to be a campus-based travelling theatre,’’ Imaseun said, adding that the plan is to move the festival from one school to another and to involve great film scholars around the world, as well as industry professionals.

The International Student Film Festival (ISFF) opened on Thursday in Okada with screening of entries submitted by participating tertiary institutions and their students. It continued yesterday with more screenings and practical workshops in different areas of filmmaking. It will close today, October 14 with an award and special recognition ceremony.

“Awards will be given to students whose works are adjudged to be the best in the different categories including Best Student Film on Culture, Best Student Scriptwriter, Best Student Short Film, Best Student Actress, Best Student Actor, and Best Student Director, among others. The criterion of those participating is that they have to be students. The idea is to catch them young and to celebrate them as the future RMD’s, Sola Sobowale, Lancelot Imasuen and Femi Odugbemi’s of our industry,’’ Imasuen enthused even as he reiterated that founding ISFF is in line with his avowed passion for grooming and empowering the youths of this country.

“The International student film festival is aimed imparting the younger generation of interested filmmakers. It’s also in line with my avowed passion for youth empowerment and giving back to the society that made me who I am today. We want to give the students the enabling environment to be much better than us. Over time, it has been observed that student filmmakers do not get dedicated opportunities to showcase their creative works. This could be a result of their status as students, which might give some people the impression that they cannot produce award-worthy or masterpiece films. That was what inspired me to create this festival,’’ he surmised.

Director and producer of countless movies and television soaps and series such as ‘Enslaved’, ‘ATM’ (Authentic Tentative Marriage), ‘Darima’s Dilemma’, ‘Love Upon the Hills’, ‘Crushed’ and ‘Love Birds’, it is possible that if Imasuen had decided on a career in the military, he probably would have been a five-star general in any of the armed forces considering his accomplishments as a motion picture practitioner.

A scriptwriter, public speaker and current Honorary Academic Chair on Filmmaking, Theatre and Mass Communication of the Department of Mass Communication, Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Nigeria, Imasuen, an old boy of Eghosa Grammar School, Benin City who hails from Urhokuosa town of Uhunmwonde Local Government Area, Edo State had his graduate education at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), where he studied Theatre Arts.

But the well-travelled and accomplished filmmaker revealed that it was his involvement in his secondary school’s drama society, his church drama group, the literary and debating society in school and the professional theatre company called Earthpot Kulture in Benin that made him catch the showbiz bug. And since then, Imasuen has not done anything else except scripting, directing and producing. To say that the filmmaker who cut his teeth as a director with Evangel Theatre through a TV Gospel Drama Series has been totally devoted to the world of make believe, will be stating the obvious.

A founding member of the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Imasuen had a stint as a casual staff of the Bendel Broadcasting Service (BBS) and then as a Production Assistant with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). It was from his stint at the NTA working under accomplished directors such as Chris Obi Rapu that Imasuen, then under 30, joined Nollywood that was just peaking up then.

Recipient of a number of industry awards including the Prestigious University of Port Harcourt Alumnus Award, Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Nigerian Film, City People Movie Special Recognition Award, Award of Excellence at the Edo Talent Awards, and National Council for Arts and Culture Awards for propagating the Benin Cultural Heritage, Lancelot shot to limelight after he helmed and released the critically acclaimed movie ‘Yesterday’. It took the success of that movie for Lancelot to be admitted into the unofficial club of those who have made producing movies and throwing up talents something of a lifetime venture.

A warm natured person to be with, Lancelot’s other movie and television credits include ‘The Soul That Sinneth’, ‘Invasion 1897’, ‘The Last Burial’, ‘Private Sin’, ‘Entanglement’, ‘Adesuwa’, ‘The Insider’, ‘Love Birds’ and the documentary film ‘Benin Fruit Seller’.