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How Nollywood Dominates Int’l Film Festival

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From million-dollar budgets to Netflix partnerships , Nigeria’s film industry, Nollywood, has burgeoned in the past decade. Nollywood films have dominated international film festivals, making the industry a creative force to be reckoned with.
But with more movies being made abroad, funded by foreign investors or directed by Africans in the diaspora, it’s no wonder there’s a growing debate in and outside the industry on what exactly counts as a Nollywood movie today.
“It’s not a term that’s as simply defined,” said 31-year-old Nigerian-American filmmaker, Faraday Okoro . “One person’s criteria may be different from the next.”
Okoro is the writer and director of the heist thriller, Nigerian Prince, the first movie to win the AT&T/Tribeca “Untold Stories” initiative, an inclusive film programme run by AT&T and the Tribeca Film Institute that helps diverse filmmakers and awards $1 million in funding to the winning script.
Nigerian Prince with its diasporan lens and plot about the notorious 419 phenomena, particularly the popular email scam that targets Westerners, represents an emerging crop of movies that are expanding the scope and definition of the Nollywood film. For Okoro, the movie, like him, has a dual citizenship because despite its foreign funding, Nigerian Prince was set mainly in Lagos with a majority Nollywood cast, except for its leading stars, the African-American Antonio Bell who plays a Nigerian-American, Eze, and the Nigerian-American, Chinaza Uche.
In the past, the term Nollywood did not just refer to a direct-to-video filmmaking industry but also the guerilla filmmaking process where movies were made with any tools available. Nollywood has since matured into a million-dollar industry. It is today featuring both the low-budget movies that paved the way for its success and high-budget ones, made locally and abroad, that signal its future.
And that future is looking increasingly bright owing to the growth of Nollywood’s two sizable markets: Africans on the continent and Africans in the diaspora, with the latter wielding more economic power than the former on a per capita basis, especially as more Africans migrate to the West. The diaspora’s financial clout is evident in their high remittances back to the continent , estimated at $37.8 billion in 2017. And the rising appetite among Africans back home can be seen in investments in movie theatres and calls for more.
Nollywood was built on the idea of Nigerians telling Nigerian stories for Nigerians, and that broadened to storytelling by Africans for Africans as Nollywood collaborated with and recruited talents from other parts of the continent. As such, through its filmmaking process and range of stories, the industry has long reflected the live experiences of its audience, thus necessitating its wider definition today.
One particular trait that is endemic to the industry is the Nigerian entrepreneurial spirit and that is seen in the evolution of distribution channels from the inexpensive VHS tapes and players to movies on low grade video-CDs and now to streaming platforms such as irokotv, SceneOneTV, Netflix and YouTube; all of which allow Africans in the diaspora with better internet connectivity to access them.
For this fast-adapting industry, evolution is also about responding to the demands and realities of globalisation as the industry sets its distribution sights beyond the West, seizing opportunities wherever they rise. China-based Pay-TV operator StarTimes, for instance, is working with movie distributors in China to export Nollywood content to the Chinese market.
“Nollywood isn’t looking into getting into Hollywood. They’re more interested in their work getting beyond the shores of Nigeria…and to get some monies back for the industry,” explains Shaibu Husseini, a Nigerian Nollywood film critic and jury member of the African Movie Academy Awards.
Contrary to other film critics who see the emergence of high-quality cinema from Nigeria as a deviation from an old “stigmatized” Nollywood or the rise of a “new Nollywood,” Husseini asserts it is simply an inevitable evolution with the times as the idea of Nollywood grows into an umbrella term for films produced by Nigerians.
Husseini says an entirely Nollywood film is a movie by a Nigeria-based filmmaker, produced and shot on the continent with a relatable narrative, predominantly Nigerian cast and local/industry-driven funding.
Nonetheless, films like Nigerian Prince by diaspora-based Nigerians will still get due recognition back home. Africa-based awards like AMAA have special categories for diaspora films and storytellers. This addresses any concerns from domestic filmmakers regarding competing with non-local players in the industry on an uneven playing field.

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My Relationship With Davido Beyond Money, Gossip -Cubana Chief Priest

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Popular businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, aka Cubana Chief Priest, has said that his relationship with singer Davido is beyond money and gossip.
He stated this in a recent interview with BBC Igbo.
“Davido is my friend. He is my in-law; he married Chioma who is from Imo State where I hail from.
“So the relationship I have with Davido is beyond money and gossip,” he said.
DAILY POST reports that Chief Priest disclosed via his Instagram page that his outfit for the wedding of the singer, Davido and his wife, Chioma, in Lagos on Tuesday cost seven million Naira.
The socialite recently appreciated Davido for not “discarding” Chioma.
He stated that the DMW boss has made Imo State proud by choosing to marry from the state.

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Simi Joins Kenya’s Anti-Tax Protests

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Nigerian singer Simisola Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, has lent her voice to the ongoing anti-tax hike protests in Kenya.
The Tide’s source reports that Kenyan youths are marching against tax hike in widespread demonstrations tagged ‘RejectFinanceBill2024.’
Five people were shot dead and dozens wounded after police clashed with protesters who stormed the parliament building in Nairobi on Tuesday, according to Amnesty Kenya.
Reacting via her X handle on Tuesday night, Simi declared her support for the demonstrators.
She stated that “it is both powerful and heartbreaking for a people to have to fight and die for freedoms and rights.”
The singer wrote, “I stand with the people of Kenya. It is both powerful and heartbreaking for a people to have to fight and die for freedoms and rights. Godspeed and Strength. [Hash tag] RejectFinanceBill2024.”
In a series of other posts, she wrote: “Wow. When you’ve had enough, the fight is almost inevitable.
“African leaders- have not you done enough?
“I can’t wait for the day Africa is not a weapon fashioned against Africans. All of this amazing Black power and human resource, but the majority are not likely to thrive unless they run.”

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Davido, Zlatan, Others In Attendance At Asake’s Atlanta Concert

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Famous Nigerian Afrobeat singer, Davido was spotted among other top artistes at Asake’s ‘Lungu Boy’ tour concert in Atlanta, Georgia.
Asake’s performance at his sold-out show at the 17,000-capacity State Farm Arena in Atlanta began on August 16, 2024, and is set to run for 10 days.
In a trending video on social media, Davido appeared backstage with American rapper Quavo to support Asake during the live performance.
Other musicians in attendance included Nigerian hitmaker Zlatan and American rapper Russ Millions.
The Tide’s source reports that Asake’s ‘Lungu Boy’ tour is set to cover six U.S. cities, where he will headline notable venues including Madison Square Garden in New York, the Toyota Center in Houston, and the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Asake’s tour comes just days after the release of his latest hit, ‘Lungu Boy,’ which features several superstars, including Wizkid, British rappers Central Cee and Stormzy, Travis Scott and Brazilian singer Ludmilla.
‘Lungu Boy’ set a new record for the biggest opening week on Spotify Nigeria, garnering 18.9 million streams in its opening week and breaking the previous record of 14.4 million streams held by Davido’s ‘Timeless.’

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