Sunday, December 1, 2013 45
THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com BY SHAIBU HUSSEINI
Around and about Nollywood...
shaibu70@yahoo.com
MOVIEDOM
ANCOP Holds Film Forum In Lagos off the daylong event. This is ANCOP’s way of recognising some persons who have contributed immensely to the Nigerian motion picture industry popularly called Nollywood”, Enyegho stated. With The Psychologist, Tricia Steps Up Effort To Prevent Child Abuse AVING made name as an actress and show host of the popular television magazine programme BoldFaces, popular Nollywood actress Tricia Esiegbe Kerry has stepped out and this time her interest is in preventing child sexual abuse. Tricia called from London to say that her foundation Boldfaces International is set to enlighten the public about pedophiles. To achieve this, Tricia disclosed that the Boldfaces Foundation has introduced a public awareness programme on child abuse called The Psychologist. According to her, the programme aims at preventing the sexual abuse of children and to encourage victims to come out and tell their stories via our television talk shows. She said: “We intend to use the platform of The Psychologist to address child sexual molestation in our society, to expose sexual predators and create a support platform for victims, as well as to get the authorities concern to do more to support the children.’’ Scheduled to go on air soon the programme is designed as a 30minute television talk show and will feature a special segment called Brave Seat of Change, which will feature real life stories of people that
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Tricia Esiegbe LL is set for the second ediA tion of the Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP) and the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) yearly forum. This is part of the capacity building and advocacy functions of ANCOP and FIAPF. The event holds on Tuesday, December 3 at Protea Hotel on Isaac John Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos. According to the President of ANCOP and Vice President of FIAPF, Alex Enyegho, this year’s forum would focus on topics such as Contents for Distribution, The Imperatives of a Collective Management Organization for Nollywood, Between Censorship and Classification for Nollywood Contents, Towards a Standard
Calendar for Theatrical Release of Nollywood Contents, The Implication of the Proposed Copyright Law Reform to Nollywood, Pathway to Nigeria’s Transition from Analogue to Digital Transmission, and The Pros and Cons of Co-production Treaties among others. According to Enyegho “FIAPF delegation from France are upbeat about their participation. Our experts and guest speakers have all confirmed their interest to participate. Just like last year’s, this one will also wow all participants and stakeholders in terms of value. “Let me disclose that the maiden edition of ‘ANCOP Recognition Awards’ will also take place same day to round
have experienced child molestation while growing up. Tricia further explained that the programme would help to mobilise adults, families and communities to take actions towards protecting children before they are harmed. Our stories are real life heart breaking stories of people that have experienced child sexual molestation while growing up. However, Tricia disclosed that her foundation is partnering with several institutions including the Nigerian Police. Presently managed by Tricia & Kingsley Kerry and Specialist consultants drawn from various fields of expertise Boldfaces International Foundation was established a few years back to advocate for the sexually abused children and provide evidence-based information to policymakers, media and advocacy groups. Emelonye’s New Movie Onye Ozi In Cinemas FTER the success recorded with Mirror Boy and Last Flight To Abuja, producer and director, Obi Emelonye is back with Onye Ozi (The Messenger), a subtitled Igbo language movie featuring the comedian, Okey Bakassi. Onye Ozi tells the story of Metumaribe (Okey Bakassi) who arrived in London with high expectations and a twoyear plan to return to Nigeria a rich man. However, life in London, with his new wife, Mkpurunma (Ngozi Igwebike) didn’t go according to plan. On a fateful night, TJ an old English man (Stephen Moriaty) is chased, by some masked men, into a party organised to welcome
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Film Adaptation Seminar Holds On December 6 seminar aimed at sensitising filmmakers on the immense gains of film adaptation will hold at the Rutanda Hall, National Library complex, 227 Herbert Macaulay Street, Casino, Yaba, Lagos. Organised by Augusta Okon’s, Wise Insight and scheduled to begin at 11a.m,
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under the theme Film Adaptation: A goldmine and reading drive in Nigeria? the Film Adaptation Seminar (FAS) according to the convener Augusta Okon will bring together professionals drawn from the literary and movie spheres as well as film scholars, representatives of relevant government parastatals, publishers and enthusiasts, under one roof. These professionals will brainstorm about the concept with the guest speakers, exchange ideas through a discussion forum and networking. “FAS seeks to encourage filmmakers to tell African stories from the pages of books, articles, news features and much more, not just to the African audience, but also to the international main stream,’’ the lawyer, author, blogger and film critic said. Expected as keynote speaker is the Managing Director of the Abuja Film Village, Mr. Segun Oyekunle. According to Okon, “film adaptation has proved to be a credible and reliable platform which has recorded outstanding commercial success and sustained the reading drive in the USA and the UK. Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, Scar face, The Godfather and Dracula, have one thing in common. They are film adaptations. Film adaptation has been a very resourceful platform used by the trailblazer in Moviedom, (Hollywood) as far back as 1928/29. We are collaborating with the Association of Nigerian Authors (Lagos Chapter) as well as relevant film bodies on this.
By Benson Idonije
ALL THAT JAZZ
Courtney Pine ... Still Rocking The British Isle CLECTICISM appears to be the rare qualification for the speE cial feature of guitarist Pat Metheny and saxophonist Branford Marsalis as headliners of the Lagos Jazz Series, which rounds off today, having been on since November 27. But how I wish Courtney Pine, the British saxophonist and outspoken proponent of jazz as musical and cultural identity was added to the list to boost the trans – cultural significance of the Festival: Courtney Pine has consistently fascinated and frustrated critics with a restless and adventurous vision that has brought world music, pop, reggae, electronica, funk and soul to sit in with the jazz tradition. Keeping his finger on the pulse of the progressive, emerging British jazz scene, Courtney Pine can be dubbed the Wynton Marsalis of British jazz. But while Pine aggressively takes the music across countries, enjoying admiration from all over the world, America’s Marsalis is confined to New York, engrossed in the business of directing the famous Lincoln Jazz Orchestra. The London jazz scene used to be more vibrant and busier than it is today — with so much activity happening at Ronnie Scott’s club. Not that this activity was created essentially by British jazz musicians, but the bulk of it came from America. The same way that American pop musicians considered their visits to London as a completely necessary ritual for making it on both sides of the Atlantic, American jazz musicians saw their appearances at London’s Ronnie Scott as the pre-requisite for showcasing their talents to the rest of the world. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Oscar Peterson, Wayne Shorter, Roland Kirk, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Lee Morgan and all the great names made frequent tours to Europe with London’s Ronnie Scott as regular base. The British jazz musicians that we knew in those days included Johnny Dankworth and his wife, Cleo Laine, who promoted British jazz aggressively on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) with transcription programmes sent to various countries of the world, including Nigeria. The Johnny Dankworth Orchestra was a 21-piece band that featured Cleo Laine as singer with, of course, tenor saxophone player, Danny Moss as major soloist. Others were Acker Bilk, Humphrey Lyttelton and Tubby Hayes. There were also trumpeter Shake Keane and alto saxophonist Joe Harriot, who like Courtney Pine, was of West Indian extraction. But none of them, including Joe Harriot, who was a Charlie Parker disciple, made the kind of prolific impact Pine is demonstrating today: giving his standing as spokesman and abettor of his home country’s music, Queen Elizabeth, no less, acknowledged the saxophonist with an Order
Metu to London and shot in Metu’s front. As partygoers run away, Metu attempts to help the man. The dying man squeezes an envelope and a bunch of keys into Metu’s hand and whispers a message as he takes his last breath. From that point on, Metu becomes involved. And no matter how much he runs from it or how long it takes; he knows he must deliver the message as he promised. Now his two-year plan has become a psychological adventure that will change his life and the lives of those around him forever. Produced and directed by Obi Emelonye, the movie was premiered at Silverbird Galleria Ikeja, Lagos on Friday, November 22 and it opened same day in cinemas nationwide. “After the many successes of Last Flight to Abuja and The Mirror Boy, I feel that the time was right for me to do what I have been holding back for many years – to make a personal, but important film that makes my mother tongue, Igbo, the star attraction. Onye Ozi (The Messenger) is my humble attempt to contribute my little quota to the preservation of Igbo language,” he said.
epochal Jazz Warriors Big Band. He later revitalised this group — with new members — with the release of Afropeans. Pine’s 1986 debut, CD Journey To The Urge Within, sold large quantities for a new artiste. One of the few jazz musicians with any appreciable collateral in the US, Pine’s sophomore album, The Vision’s Tale was recorded in the company of Ellis Marsalis and Jeff Watts. He toured the states a half-dozen times earlier in his career, frequently employing top US musicians. Despite appeals and overtures from numerous American jazz musicians to team up with them, Pine chose to remain in London — close to his Caribbean ancestry. Pine’s music, influenced at root by his formative tenure in reggae and funk band, has maintained an eclectic beat and a highenergy presentation, keeping abreast of popular styles and technological advances. INE has performed in Lagos on two different visits and his P intense approach to saxophone playing has not diminished. Listening to him is a wonderful experience as he plays the saxo-
Courtney Pine of the British Empire medal in 2000. When he presented A Night Of British Jazz in Toronto in January 2009, the concert featured Empirical, Martin Taylor’s Fraternity, Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra and Dennis Rollins’ Bad Bone. Pine offered the audience a progressive and world-class sampling of British music. At his hotel the day after the show and during an afternoon showcase of British jazz at Toronto’s Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues bar, Pine eagerly bragged about his protege on the bill, the young quintet, Empirical, which he signed to his own Destin-E Records for their 2007 debut. Pine has an authoritative ear about the talent level of European jazz. He shot to fame as an instigator of the London scene back in the 80s. Before he was 20, he had played with the Abibi Jazz Arts (to further the cause of musicians), which ultimately became the
phone with the technical skill of a virtuoso. Exhibiting the influences of Coltrane and Rollins, Pine is a master of the instrument; and he demonstrates his authoritative control not only with a round tonal conception, but also with a speed propelled as if with machine-gun accuracy. Pine’s tall frame is imposing; and his long, thick mane of dreads makes him an attractive figure. He is jovial and mixes North West London vernacular with hints of his second-generation Jamaican background, most evident, as he appears disarmingly un-snobbish. Pine’s ethos and background differ from his friend and collaborator, Branford Marsalis, whom he admires quite a lot. Brought up in the Ladbroke Grove vicinity of London, the site of the spectacular Nothing Hill Carnival, which celebrates locals of Caribbean ancestry, Pine always felt camaraderie with the Island residents and had the desire to connect. He also collaborated with vocalists, including lyrical cuts with some of the most soulful singers around, including ex-Supreme Susaye Greene, with whom he made the hit Children Of The Ghetto. Belying the more tender melodic structures of these duets, Pine would often follow them with blistering textural attack on tenor, soprano or bass clarinet, though always anchored by a new groove. The cosmopolitan nature of his roots, as well as the happening jazz DJ scene in the 80s with its dance-oriented elements of hip hop, trip hop, funk and acid jazz — all came together to influence and nurture his career — in the beginning. But he is one of the most solid musicians on the jazz scene today. In assessing his trajectory, Pine has been playing modern day jazz for over 15 years now in venues, with no chairs or pianos and filling these venues with new jazz fans.