I’m not regretting giving up sciences for scriptwriting – Nurudeen

Oladipo Nurudeen, 23, could have become a physiologist, but gave up that dream to become a scriptwriter – and he’s not regretting it. He said this recently at a press conference organised by Homevida and SACE to announce the winner of the 2016 Homevida Short Script Competition in the Transparency, Accountability and Good Governance (TAGG) […]

Oladipo Nurudeen, 23, could have become a physiologist, but gave up that dream to become a scriptwriter – and he’s not regretting it.
He said this recently at a press conference organised by Homevida and SACE to announce the winner of the 2016 Homevida Short Script Competition in the Transparency, Accountability and Good Governance (TAGG) Category.
Nurudeen’s 23-page script ‘In Apathy’ won the HomeVida 2016 Short Script Competition for this category and stands to be made into a short film.
He also got N100, 000 in cash and participated in the 2-day script workshop organised by Homevida and Pan-Atlantic University for young scriptwriters.
“I like to think I have always been a storyteller,” said Nurudeen at the award ceremony in Abuja.
“I wrote and used hangers to act the stories out.”
‘In Apathy’ won the TAGG category, sponsored by the USAID funded project Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement (SACE).
His father was unofficial editor, who related the script to personal experiences dealing with the trauma of Moshood Abiola and gave him the go-ahead.
“It portrayed issues and challenges in education and overcoming these challenges,” Nurudeen said of his script.
It was among five, down from a total 55 entries for being a “passionate story about personal choices, not happily ever after,” said the organisers.
One critique against ‘In Apathy’ was the “sacrifice was too much,” said a board member of HomeVida.
The script tells the story of young Jimi, torn “between keeping his marriage or going against all odds to fight for the right thing.
“It highlights some of the acts of corruption and fraud that goes on in the educational system and its effect on the students.”
Nurudeen is among dozens of young film scriptwriters branching away from the juju-and-witchcraft fare Nollywood offers to address “key issues that connect us in our daily lives,” said Seember Nyager, chief executive officer of Homevida (an initiative of PPDC), which ran the contest.
The centre also offers a separate category for young filmmakers who each year are making movies that speak to these issues.
It is a bridge to get mainstream filmmakers busy on social issues at the same time young people like Nurudeen (whose short film “Desolation” was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2014 Nollywood Movies Awards) get closer to working with big names in mainstream movies on the basis of the recognition a HomeVida award offers.
“It is helping them to become mainstream, but they have the consciousness of putting forward moves that speak to these issues [of transparency and good governance],” said Chris Ode.
At least seven in 10 young producers like Nurudeen have passed through HomeVida, and eight in 10 of scriptwriters in Nollywood have competed at one time to win HomeVida prizes.
“By directing reward to a certain kind of production, you are able to influence people to start producing films around these themes,” Charles Abani, chief of party for the USAID delegation at the award.
Nurudeen succeeded this far in film making by being tenacious, he said, pushing aside the frustrations he faced at points.
“My goal is to tell the most amazing story with the resources I have,” Nurudeen told Daily Trust on Saturday.