Genevieve Nnaji And The Challenge Of ‘Breaking Into Hollywood’
Star actress Genevieve Nnaji was at the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum in the Bahamas. At this forum organised by the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) under the Afreximbank programme Nnaji whose debut movie as a director Lion Heart was acquired by Netflix explained the challenges she faced trying to break into Hollywood despite the success of her 2018 film ‘Lion Heart’. The 45-year-old award winning actress spoke of how her Hollywood experience did not meet her expectation in terms of career advancement. “For the first time, I realised I was a commodity,” Nnaji told a full house of delegates attending the forum. ‘I thought, you know, given what I had done with Lion Heart and all of that, I was going to have an opportunity to do more. Getting there and having the kind of support that obviously CANEX is bringing on board, I thought I could find it in Hollywood. That was not quite the case. They wanted what I had (my story) but for their benefit.” The actress who later expressed her commitment to the development of Nollywood said she will pursue her dream, that of building an industry (Nollywood) that could rival Hollywood.
Congratulations In Order For Mahmood Ali-Balogun Led AVRS
CONGRATULATORY messages have been pouring in for the Mahmood Ali-Balogun led Audio Visual Rights Society (AVRS) since news break that the sole collective management organization for Audio Visual works have been admitted into the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) as its newest member. Olubukola Adeyemi, AVRS General Manager who broke the news described AVRS’s admission as a significant milestone and a new chapter in AVRS’s ongoing efforts to advocate for the rights of creators in the audiovisual sector.
The GM disclosed that as a newly inducted member of CISAC, AVRS joins an esteemed community of over 227 authors’ societies in 116 countries, collectively representing over 5 million creators from all artistic fields. “This membership will enable AVRS to strengthen its mission of ensuring fair compensation and robust legal protections for audiovisual creators while also promoting greater collaboration and exchange of best practices on a global scale.” For AVRS Chairman, joining the CISAC validates the AVRS’s effort in protecting the rights of audiovisual creators’ rights and opens up new avenues for international collaboration. Award winning filmmaker and former President of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Zik Zulu Okafor, described the feat by AVRS as a momentous stride the creative industry the motion picture industry needs. “I salute the vision of AVRS leadership and congratulate the entire team for these hope inspiring achievements,” Zik Zulu said in a terse message he shared on ‘Film4life’ the whatsapp platform for filmmakers. Congratulations AVRS.
Actor Kanayo O. Kanayo Gets Nollywood Trending Again
THE video of Nollywood actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo, expressing his disappointment in fast-rising teenage actress, Angel Unigwe, and her mother has been trending since Friday. In fact, the video posted on the actor’s social media handles have yet again placed Nollywood on the list of issues that have been trending. The movie showed KOK as the actor is simply called lamenting about how the teenage actress breached their contract with the help of her mother. A visibly enraged KOK alleged that the actress and her mum had not kept to the terms of a production agreement he entered with them, leading to the disruption of a production he was involved in. KOK then vowed to blacklist the actress over her conduct and that of her mum. The actor who holds the national honour of Member of the Federal Republic called on producers to blacklist teen actress Angel Unigwe over her mum’s actions. KOK had explained that Angel Unigwe’s mother took her daughter from a movie set at 9:00pm when the particular day they agreed to shoot had not expired.
The actor later went to his Instagram page and wrote: “This is a clarion call to every producer, please I beg you in the name of professionalism and all that unites us. From this moment, June 21, 2024, any set that employs the services of Angel Unigwe, I will come to that set and make sure filming does not hold. You guys know what it is for an artist to walk out on a set. I want to guarantee all of you that we had a very good working relationship with Angel. Her mother has been threatening many producers. So please I don’t want to block anybody’s shooting schedule but please I will monitor from this moment any set where I find Angel Unigwe shooting, it will be disrupted. This is not a threat to anybody.” There have been mixed reactions over the viral video and the clarion call KOK made. While many hold that the issue would have been better handled through the guild structure, others blamed the actress for allowing her mum to disrupt a production she had agreed to be part of. There has been no reaction from Angel and her mum since KOK’s outburst.
Matthew Simpa’s Big 60 Celebration
IT was more than a bumper celebration for veteran cineaste, Matthew Simpa, penultimate Tuesdays ago, as family, friends and colleagues both old and young converged on Simeon Adebo Library in Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State for the 60th anniversary of the pioneer filmmaker of the reversal era. The Kogi-born filmmaker turned 60 on June 11 and to mark the day, Simpa, a published writer, launched two books and announced plans to champion the cause of veterans of the Nigeria film industry. Birthday Gift and You are Right; You are Wrong are the two books that Simpa launched to mark his birthday, which he tagged ‘Big and Bold’. Follow Matthew Simpa on Facebook and other social media handles for details on how to get the books.