BOB TV 2010 - 7TH AFRICAN FILMS AND TELEVISION PROGRAMMES EXPO

BOB TV NEWS & EVENTS

BOB TV FILM FESTIVAL 2009: A JOURNAL

DAY TWO

Dressed in my snazzy red polo shirt -BOB TV branded polo shirt- I step into the Ladi Kwali venue and am greeted with the promise of an exciting sequel to yesterday’s opening. The excitement of the mass of attendees surging into the Conference Center mingled with the Nollywood players many want to see and network with, charges the atmosphere with promise – Who will attend today? What will be on display? Which master classes will hold? Which of my screen idols will I run into, and perhaps make acquaintance with?

I have sighted a few ‘monuments’ of the business.

Nollywood heavyweight, Uzo Amayo Phillips, has held a trio spellbound with his trademark humour. The man famed for writing and producing Aki and Paw Paw, one drop in his ocean of works, is as entertaining as any of the funnymen who’ve appeared in his works (Nkem Owoh, notably), and I’m not spared his wit as he cracks me up with what should ordinarily pass for a ‘good morning.’ The rich baritone of Ejike Asiegbu, President of the Actors Guild, Ejike Asiegbu, draws me. He’s making the pretty official recording his details laugh and waving back at eager fans who are calling him by the different names of the many characters he’s played. And then, an excited gasp rents the air, and fingers point to an angle of the hall. I know before my eyes make contact – RMD. I amble over to salute ‘Big Bros.’ He’s readying to start his Actors Master class slated for 10:00. If I were a gambling man, I’d bet all the notes in my wallet that his class will be largely peopled by women. But then, it’s RMD. No one will challenge my bet. Rosemary, who plays Sikira in Fuji House of Commotion, welcomes visitors with a smile that belies her cantankerous onscreen personality. Francis Duru is making his way to one of the halls, as Sam Loco, seated with the regal calm of a godfather, is flanked right and left by other actors, paying their respects.

It’s a few minutes to eight and the University Challenge, the first of many segments, kicks off by eight. On my way then to Hall 7

8:00 UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE

The hall is packed full with students here to watch or participate in the UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE, which is the screening of 16 minute shorts, produced by students of Mass Communication, Theatre and Music. The themes are varied and while some are drama, others are documentary. Being that the films are made on ballpark budgets, expectations are lowered but we’re pleasantly surprised. University Challenge, which is one of the most popular segments in BOB TV since its inception, has recorded marked improvement in the storytelling shown by these budding filmmakers. Two particularly striking ones are FILMS OF DEATH, a documentary about gas flaring in the the Niger Delta, and one … oops, lost the name now, about a handicap lifeguard who’s excellent at his job. The first was great for the provocative treatment, the latter for its human angle.

The two judges, Chris Ehidero (Also the Facilitator), and Nasiru Mohammed, a Cannywood Director, acclaimed all the students’ efforts even as they set them right where they missed the way. By and large, everyone made a terrific effort.
The satisfied students troop forward happily to hear and learn more from the judges. I troop ou, headed for Hall 5.

10:00 FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN

With good reason, this class too is filled up. ANGUS GIBSON, South African Producer, is taking this class, and besides producing Jacob’s Cross, arguably the most popular cable African cable series, Angus happens to be an Oscar nominee. His ….

Using Jacob’s Cross, his most famous work to the Nigerian audience, Angus shows us the steps from conception to production, a lesson applicable to both feature and series. The crux of his lesson is that the creative process should be organic and without the restriction of rules. Angus is easy to listen to and talk with, what with his omnipresent smile and affable airs, so the question-answer session, is more like children asking Aunty Nkem questions after a tale told by moonlight.

As the session ends, I am certain the biggest impact Angus made on the class is his stated willingness to receive scripts, always being in search of great stories well told. As I leave, Angus is already surrounded by attending mass, taking pictures with him, and many more, his email.

The afternoon sessions begin now

AFTERNOON

I’ve acclimatized to the nature of BOB now. Expectedly, there’s a throng in every corner, and every other few minutes, you see a crowd building around an actor or you just hear shrieks of awe, such as now – Nkem Owoh and Sam Loco Efe, in the lounge, chatting. Fans are delighted, and countless phone cameras are clicking away as the two stars, inured to the loss of their privacy, continue their dialogue. Sam Dede is being interviewed by a TV crew in the distance, while three ladies wait on the side, presumably to get his autograph afterwards. Bukky Ajayi is approached every second for pictures, and oozing her maternal charm, she obliges each and everyone. Another round of thrilled screams draw me to Hall 7 where Stephanie Okereke, followed by a train of admirers, is just entering.

1:00 ‘THROUGH THE GLASS’ PREMIERE

THROUGH THE GLASS is Stephanie Okereke’s American-made film, written and directed by her, after her graduation from New York Film Academy, where she acquired a diploma in Film Directing. The hall looks like a meeting place for feminists as women fill all the spaces. I find a place at the back, and settle down. Naturally, it’s better made than Nollywood fare, and better written. The story is about a philanderer and his chance meeting and subsequent relationship with his neighbor. Stephanie plays the love interest.

Stephanie is flanked by her ‘sistas’ in the business, Emem Isong, Mona Lisa Chinda, and Nse Etim. It’s interesting they’re all dressed in black.

The film is well received, and the audience deluge Stephanie with outpourings of praise and questions. This is not the forum for a review but now that THROUGH THE GLASS premiered, you can be sure to find press commentary on it from the journalists who attended.

Interesting sessions draw one right and left – Hall 5 has Temitope, an Image Consultant, tutoring on looking good for less, a session already occupied fully; Babatunde Akinfemi, the Canadian based filmmaker whose SCOUNDRELS OF FAITH screened yesterday, is hosting the session in Movie Producing, and Dickson Iruegbu, an award winning eu
BOB TV FILM FESTIVAL aims to

THE DISTRIBUTION DEBATE

The day’s champion is the Distributor’s panel where producers, actors, broadcasters and marketers, came to debate the way forward for the movie industry in terms of distributing our intellectual property.
Discussed was the value placed on intellectual property, piracy, distribution after movie is made
Debates were much and robust – Justus Osiri/ Nkem Owoh/ Efere/

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