SATURDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 10, 2015 — 27
Lillian Amah-Aluko battles for AMP presidency A
fter becoming the Vice President of the Association of Movie Producers, AMP, for two consecutive times, actress cum producer, Lillian Amah-Aluko, has declared her intention to vie for president of the association in their forthcoming election. The ace producer made her intention known during an interactive session with entertainment journalists last Sunday. And to actualize her ambition, she paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, during the week to seek his support. Lilian said her sole aim in running for the position is to put the right structures in place, with a view to facilitating the welfare of members as well as establishing treaties with other movieproducing countries. According to her, “I served as vice-president of Association of Movie Producers under Paul Obazele’s last tenure and Zik Zulu Okafor ’s first tenure. I was vice-president for two terms of two years each. In the course of these four years, I’ve been actively involved in the guild politics. I came to realise that there is a disconnect in the industry. I just came back with some of my colleagues from the University of California where we went on training. While there, we discovered that they have very active guilds. You cannot go into America and start carrying camera or start doing anything: you must contact the guild in charge. The script writer is protected by the script writers’ guild; producers are protected by the producers’ guild among others. They have very strong unions, with rules and regulations.” Lilian who has acted in many Nollywood films lamented the lack of professionalism and decline in the industry, pledging , however,that if elected president, along with members of her executive, she will reposition the guild by reconciling all warring factions. “What we have in Nollywood, as I discovered in my years as vice-president, is that it’s an all- comers affair. •Lillian Amah People come in, do whatever they want, with little or no professionalism. And with the piracy situation, you find out that the producers are suffering. Every other day you journalists help us to announce that one practitioner is down with one illness or the other; and we call on government and kind-spirited individuals to help, whereas as professionals in quote, we should not be begging for food or healthcare. All of these things get me thinking and I said to myself and to others: what do we really need for the guild to take their rightful place? I’m speaking from the perspective of AMP, which I belong to. It’s time for us to take our rightful place.” According to Lilian, “By venturing into movie politics, I have a lot of innovations in my agenda which will help to lift the profile of our members, with the help of the other members of the executive."
He named Me Malala comes to Nigeria The much-talked about American documentary film, ‘ He Named Me Malala’ which is generating a lot of mixed reactions across the globe since its premiere last September, is due to première in Nigeria this Sunday. The film, directed by Davis Guggenheim will premiere at Silverbird cinemas. Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, the coordinator, Girls United Together for Success said, the film is premièring as part of activities to commemorate this year ’s United Nations’ International Day of the Girl with the theme, “The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030.” ‘He Named Me Malala’ concerns the young •Malala Pakistani female activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by Taliban gunmen, shot in the head and left wounded. She was targeted for speaking for the girls’ education in her region of Swat Valley in Pakistan. The title refers to the Afghani folk hero Malalai of Maiwand, after whom her father named her. It premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 4, 2015, and received a theatrical release in the United States on October 2. Speaking at the press preview of the documentary film during the week, Chima said, the Nigerian premiere of “He Named Me Malala” is for the nationwide girl education campaign for the more than 6 million Nigerian girls who are out of school. It’s also part of the global movement of The Malala Fund to empower girls through secondary school education. The Malala Fund empowers girls through education. “Inspired by co-founders, Malala and Ziauddin Yousafzai, our aim is to raise girls’ voices and ensure every girl has access to a quality secondary education.”
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Yabatech film academy berths •Abay Esho
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t is good news for aspiring film makers longing to attend the prestigious New York Film Academy for capacity building and improvement of their craft as Yaba College Technology, Lagos, establishes a similar film school in the country to stem the tide. The academy, YabaTech Film Academy, which kicks off early next year is set up basically in response to the fast changing world of film and television production and employment training needs. The hands-on-practical film academy located within the school premises and furnished with up-to-date fleet of cameras and equipment like RED, Arri, Blackmagic, canon and Sony high will be offering professional standard practical training across all key areas
of film making. Speaking at an interactive session with movie journalists, during the week, ace film maker, Abay Esho, consultant to YFA with his partner, Kingsley Omoefe noted that the academy was set up to bridge the gap between the need of the industry, professionalism and employment. “In this industry where professionalism cannot be discarded, there comes a need for the young ones to be grounded practically and theoretically in different areas of film making. YFA is positioned to meet that need and expose student to what it takes. Our curriculum is fashioned after the best film schools and we have scholars and practitioners to train students and the best student each session has the opportunity of a scholarship of a degree course abroad. Since the industry accounts for 2nd highest employer of labour, there is a need for training of entrants and that is what Yabatech Film Academy stands for ”, says Abay Esho, film director of Dear Mother, Every Day People, Eve and of recent, Oasis drama series. YFA is a joint project between the prestigious Yaba College of Technology and Crest Entertainment, a renowned production company based in Lagos.
Filmhouse unveils new mobile app for movie lovers BY KEHINDE AJOSE
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ilm house Cinemas, one of the largest and revered cinema providers in Nigeria; have recently announced a new mobile app through which guests can buy tickets from the convenience of their location anywhere in the country. This was revealed recently via a press release made available from the company. According to Filmhouse Management, “There are few things more annoying than getting to the cinemas hoping to see the latest blockbuster only to find out that the movie tickets have been sold out. The good news, as far as Filmhouse Cinemas is concerned, is that such days are set to be a thing of the past. Today, it is with great pleasure that the management of Filmhouse announce the re-launch of its website, complete with an online ticket booking portal. What this means is that guests now have the opportunity to buy movie tickets online from the comfort of their homes ahead of a visit to the cinema.” Mr Kene Mkparu, CEO/MD Filmhouse Cinemas stated, “At Filmhouse cinemas, we take two things very seriously, the experience and the convenience. With the launch of our online ticket booking website, we are thrilled to have once again answered the call of our loving guests. “