Filmmaker Daniel Izu Wins 2nd SDGs Challenge
Eze Izu Daniel, Saturday night, emerged winner of the 2024 SDGs Short Film Challenge and Awards which took place inside one of the glitzy cinema halls of the Silverbird Cinema in Central Area, Abuja. The young film maker’s entry, ‘Wasted’, saw off the stiff contest from 2,249 other entries from across 119 countries, cutting across […]
Eze Izu Daniel, Saturday night, emerged winner of the 2024 SDGs Short Film Challenge and Awards which took place inside one of the glitzy cinema halls of the Silverbird Cinema in Central Area, Abuja.
The young film maker’s entry, ‘Wasted’, saw off the stiff contest from 2,249 other entries from across 119 countries, cutting across Europe, America and Asia, to take the diadem position.
The film, which has its theme on the effects of drugs on young people, featured a promising young character who, in the quest to find the right antidote for stage fright, went into drugs, grew from the mild indulgence to the complete addiction that left him so completely dependent that he lost not just his purpose in life but sanity as well. Essentially, it dwelt on goal 3 of the SDGs which focuses attention on health.
“I feel like the hard work is paying off gradually,” Eze told journalists while reacting to his victory.
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Other winners include Road Trip by Victor Eyike/Accelerate TV, 1st runner up, and Oke Okuta by Oke Tolulope.
From the international category, British Passport by Mahmood Pouyandah from Iran won the Best International film version, while the Best Documentary went to Imperishable by Akansha Tiwari from India. Carbon Traces by Stafie Gan from USA won the award for the Best animation, while ‘Alone’, by Stephen Shenboyejo took podium position on Viewers’ Choice.
The choice of ‘Wasted’ as the Challenge grand prize winner was well received both by online viewers and the packed audience at the venue of the event, comprising some of the most credible individuals and groups, local and international.
They include Elsie Attafuah, UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator a.i, who described the event as a celebration of talents, a celebration of innovation and vision.
Other prominent individuals that graced the eye-catching event are Hon Usman Bashir Zubairu, member, House of Representatives, Gwari Giwa Federal Constituency, who stood in for the Speaker, Rt Hon Tajudeen Abbas.
Hamza Baba; Imran Garba Duba, (SA to the President on Innovation) and Mrs Winifred Shokpeka, FCT Coordinator, NYSC, stood in for the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu; Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa and NYSC Director General, Brig-Gen. YD Ahmed respectively. Shaibu Husseini, Ph.D, Executive Director/CEO, the Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board, was represented by Ms. Deborah Malgwi.
The grand finale is the climax of a year-long effort by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, OSSAP-SDGs, the United Nations Information Centre, UNIC, and FreshNEWS Multimedia to engage creative young filmmakers in a global drive to create awareness for Sustainable Development Goals.