AIFF 2014:‘Centenary in retrospect’

With representation from various fields of filmmaking, the event witnessed a turnout of participants who were contending for various award categories as well as those who used the platform to market their products and build new contacts.  Themed: ‘Centenary in retrospect,’ the film fest began with a night premiering Lancelot Imasuen’s 100-minute ‘Invasion 1876,’ a […]

With representation from various fields of filmmaking, the event witnessed a turnout of participants who were contending for various award categories as well as those who used the platform to market their products and build new contacts.  
Themed: ‘Centenary in retrospect,’ the film fest began with a night premiering Lancelot Imasuen’s 100-minute ‘Invasion 1876,’ a narrative of the British invasion of the Benin Empire in 1897.
There was also the launch of four other productions, including ‘Vitamin A Cassava: The Yellow Cassava,’ by Zeb Ejiro; ‘Dada Oni Paki,’ by Fidelis Duker; ‘Ebiyemi,’ by Chico Ejiro and ‘Sakani,’ by Obi Osotule. The films were in the four major languages spoken in Nigeria- English, Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa.
‘Vitamin A Cassava,’ an advocacy movie co-produced by Smile Africa Network Ltd and HarvestPlus Nigeria is aimed at creating adequate awareness on the federal government’s new policy on cassava flour and to fight malnutrition among children under five years.
The annual event perceived as the largest in Anglo-Africa, drew top Nollywood stars to network and share ideas on how to make the industry globally competitive.
Now under the leadership of ace actor, Fred Amata, his predecessor, and initiator of the fiesta, Fidelis Duker, described the four-day forum as “one of the most successful since inception because it has many foreign movies in different categories from Hollywood and other recognised names in the movie world.”
With about 200 films submitted this year for the festival, Duker said this is a pointer to the growth and global acceptance of the festival.
A filmmaker, Emma Bricks Oko, who has been a regular at AIFF for the past three years said: “AIFF has given me the opportunity to meet and interact with people in the industry. I have learnt from different movies premiered as well as getting contacts of movie makers which will help me achieve my goal.”
He added that: “I can’t mention how many movies I have done through contacts established here over the years since I have been coming.”
Of the 200 films submitted, 55 were screened and 34 selected for the awards this year with two new categories added for music score and student films for aspiring filmmakers in film schools.
Duker said his observation in the last 11 years of running the festival is that what: “we believe to be true in our society can perhaps be a myth in another and vice versa. We will see that Nigeria is a part of the world and the world a part of Nigeria.”