Another Opportunity to Celebrate Nollywood in Germany

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THE Nigerian Nollywood Industry has another opportunity—after its recent exploits in France at the Nollywoodweek Paris Film Festival—to showcase the best that the industry has to the German Audience. This time, it is under the platform of Nollywood Film Festival Germany (NFFG) and Nollywood E-Golden Awards (NEGA), an annual event, which the Chief Organiser Isaac Izoya say is dedicated to showcasing the best of Nollywood to the German

audience. Izoya, an award winning cultural ambassador and head of the Europe based Ehizoya Golden Entertainment also said that the four days festival which will hold at Hessen’s Filmforun Höchst VHS, Frankfurt, Germany from 11th to 14th September 2014, is aimed at fostering international trading and exchange opportunities in what he described as the ‘largely untapped market’.

To be held in partnership with Hessen State’s Filmforun Höchst and with support coming from other institutions in Europe and Nigeria including the Office for Multicultural Affairs (AMKA – Germany), Nigerian Association Rhein/Main Area e.V Frankfurt, Germany, Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Nollywood Radio France and Nollywood Spotlight – Houston, Texas, USA, the NEGA awards according to Izoya, is the buzz word amongst fans of the Nollywood industry in major cities in Germany including Frankfurt where the event proper is set to take place. ‘’The build up is on – every one, Africans and their European friends alike are talking about it’’ Izoya said. The widely travelled show promoters also disclosed that the event would hold in September and not in August like it held last year because the original August date coincides with School holidays in Frankfurt.  ‘’The decision to hold this festival is based on the interest shown by the Germans and Europeans to watch classic Nollywood films on big screen for the first time. Their unprecedented interests followed with endless phone calls, forced us to change the festival date to September, after their school holiday’ he explained.

Giving details of the festival which is expected to attract African diplomats, politicians, film-makers, Nollywood stake-holders and Nollywood cross-border fans, Izoya stated that the festival will feature screening of two feature length films daily, an opening night cocktail to be attended by Nollywood directors, actors as well as their German and European counterparts, and an African movie premiere. The festival will climax with the Nollywood E-Golden Awards where some selected Nollywood practitioners who according to Izoya ‘have played important roles in making Nollywood what it has become today’ will be honoured. He also said that an A-List Stand-Up comedian, Cultural Dancers and Nigerian Hip Hop live performances would headline the award event.  Similarly, Izoya spoke of plans to hold an event titled ‘Diaspora Talent Hunt’ as part of the festival.  ‘’ We want to leverage on the event to rediscover African talents in the Diaspora for Nollywood and across the globe. The winners will be rewarded with, at least, sub-lead roles in Nollywood films. We made it a responsibility to create these programs that will challenge, educate, improve and empower the lots of Nigerians in Germany and Europe who are endowed with various talents and natural gifts’’ he explained.  

Although Izoya acknowledged that the Nigerian film industry has transcended national and continental borders and it is reckoned with in countries like America, Australia, United Kingdom, Italy, France and Spain, he observed that Nollywood is still largely unknown to millions of Germans.  He said ‘but this is about to change by the operation of this NFFG 2014 initiative. It is for us a platform that will facilitate an opportunity for Nigerian directors, actors, film distributors, producers and journalists to interact with their Europe counterparts about the nature and future of Nollywood and the movie industry generally. It will be both a pedagogic and stimulating platform for intercultural dialogue and international exposure’’.

But beyond screening of films and handing out awards, Izoya disclosed plans to host a colloquium on African Films. ‘’This is a special segment in the four day NFFG/NEGA 2014. It will be a gathering of African filmmakers and stakeholders with international interest groups to discuss trends in African films production and trade and proffer solutions. Those expected to be in the panel are reputable filmmakers from Africa, Europe and USA’’.

On the choice of Frankfurt as host city, Izoya explained that the cosmopolitan city of Frankfurt was chosen because of the multi-cultural outlook of the city and the role the city is playing in promoting integration. ‘’We also chose Frankfurt because of its policy against racism, intolerance and discrimination and we chose Germany as host country in Europe because Germany has played a major role in giving comfort and pleasure for the visiting stars from Nigeria and Ghana. Germany was described as home away from home by most of the Nollywood stars who have visited Germany through Ehizoya Golden Entertainment. Besides,

the growing numbers of Africa immigrant children and families in Germany, and the desire of a majority of them to have basic knowledge of life in Africa, the concentration in promoting Nollywood movies as a tutorial apparatus and a window of knowledge of Africa for the African-German descendants is becoming inevitable’’ Izoya who recently relocated from Berlin to Frankfurt said.

An actor, movie producer and show promoter whose motto is ‘the show must go on’, Isaac Izoya started building Nollywood’s presence in Europe in 2002 through Nollywood film productions, stand-up comedy shows, music and cultural road shows across Europe. The Ishan, Edo State born graduate of London School of Journalism contribution to the promotion of the Nollywood brand has been acknowledged by a number of awards of excellence he has received. Some of the awards he has received include the Cultural Ambassador Award by Association of African Ambassadors in Berlin, Nollywood Outstanding Personalities Award NOPA by National Association of Movie Journalist NAMOJ, Lagos, Nigeria and Kultural Ambassador Media Award KAMA by African Heritage/Media Consult, Hamburg, Germany. Producer of the ground breaking across the border movie ‘’Sinners In The House”, reputed as the first Nollywood movie to be produced and premiered in Germany, some of the artistes and performers who have featured in the cultural integration shows packed by Izoya’s Ehizoya Golden Entertainment in the last 12 years include Patience Ozokwor a.k.a Mama G, Ramsey Nouah, Mercy Johnson, Benedict Johnson, Charles Inojie, Jackie Appiah, Monalisa Chinda, Ngozi Ezeonu, Empress Njamah, Nkeiruka Sylvanus, Jim Iyke, Desmond Elliot, Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme a.k.a Aki and PawPaw, John Okafor (a.k.a. Mr Ibu), Victor Osuagwu, Bright Okpocha, Julius Agwu, and Francis Agoda a.k.a I Go Dye

Written by: Shaibu Husseini
Source: Nigeria Guardian