by Cheta Nwanze
After a marketing blitz, it was with a lot of anticipation that I went to watch the much hyped Ijé, featuring Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Ulrich Que.
Warning: spoiler content
The movie begins with Chioma (Nnaji) arriving in Los Angeles to a hostile immigration reception. After battling her way through, she gets to her pre-booked hotel and encounters her first disappointment: the hoteliers have increased their price without notifying her, in a classic hustle. She has to pay $50 a week more than budgeted.
The next scene introduces Anya (Jalade-Ekeinde), Chioma's sister, who is awaiting trial for a triple homicide. She's the reason why Chioma, who works in a Nigerian bank, has come to the US. In that first and rather touching scene, Chioma uses the ruse of freedom of religion to get to see her sister sans the glass partition. In that scene, we are told Anya's side of the story, that she did not kill her husband. She also informs Chioma that her lawyer had asked her to plea-bargain.
The next day, Chioma goes to the lawyer's office to speak about her sister's case. Anya's lawyer, Patricia Barone (Anne Carey) has made up her mind that there is no other way for the matter to progress except by plea-bargain. She comes across as believing that Anya was actually guilty. Meanwhile, a chance meeting outside the courtroom with another lawyer shows Chioma that not all American lawyers are cold blooded. Jalen (Que) has just been fired for refusing to plea-bargain on behalf of a client, thus losing a murder trial. His demeanour persuades Chioma to approach him about becoming her sister's lawyer.
The build-up to the trial follows with the usual American legal rigmarole: a prosecution lawyer who sees cases like this as mere statistics to add to his already bulging belt of convictions, some visits by Chioma to Anya's residence, and an introduction to Anya's neighbour.
As time goes on, it becomes clear that Anya is not exactly telling the truth about what happened on the night that she killed at least two men (she admitted to killing two, but not her husband), and the onus is now on Chioma to find the sixth person that was in the house on that fateful night.
In between all this, there are flashbacks to the sisters' childhood which, from the background, is somewhere in a village in the north-central region of Nigeria. Their childhood had all the ingredients of a Cinderella story: poor girls who were eventually transported to some form of success, but not before passing through some rough times, most notably a pogrom in the village that they lived in.
Full review in Next> Let down by the story
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Friday, 6 August 2010
Goodluck at last for Nollywood
We are pleased to bring you the promise of Nigeria's President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to Nollywood:
"The other day I talked about stimulating production of goods and services in all sectors so that our Naira earned in Nigeria can be spent on products made in Nigeria so that our expenditure feeds our economic expansion. However another goal of this stimulation is to boost exports. And in boosting exports we do not have to stick to the... traditional export oriented industries. We have to use what we have to get what we want. There are many untapped avenues for generating exports in Nigeria and we need to put these opportunities to good use. For instance, I have travelled on official visits to a number of countries and have been amazed by the response I get from people of various racial back grounds to Nollywood movies. Africans and Americans; Caribbean and other island nations; Europeans as well as Asians tell me how much they love Nollywood movies. This interest alerted me to the fact that there is a market for Nigerian home videos the world over and I have directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs to ask our envoys to work with leading lights of Nollywood to help them break into the market of their host country. If Hollywood and Bollywood can generate several hundreds of billions of US dollars for their country's economy then we must support our own home grown movie industry to do likewise. Not stopping there, I have directed the Ministers of Information and Communications and Culture to remove any impediment in the way of the industry so that the intellectual property rights of producers, directors, actors and studios are protected and they enjoy the fruits of their labor which will give them the incentive to make more and better movies. In growing Nigeria's economy we must be creative and look into all possibilities."- GEJ
All of us at Nollywood Focus are holding our breaths and believing, yes, believing, that the promise of goodluck shall finally bear fruits for Nollywood. On our own part, we will continue to engage with Nollywood producers, directors and actors through discussions, seminars, interviews, reviews, and publicity for Nollywood movies (our prices are from FREE) so there is no excuse not to get exposed here.
Want us to shout about your movie from FREE? email nollywoodfocus@easternlightepm.com
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Dewitching Time
A review of “The Fake Prophet”
By Nnorom Azuonye
Over the last few years, many people have been dismissive about Nollywood with such statements as; “What’s the point of watching Nollywood movies? To watch juju?” Such people have not been successfully swayed by the fact that not all Nollywood movies are about juju, or have juju content. They have also failed to contend with the fact that the portrayal of people killing each other, trapping lovers, or robbing innocent victims with juju is fuelled by a national state of mind. If a man falls in love with a girl his mother does not like, his mother will most certainly say he has been a victim of juju. If a young man goes to Lagos, Abuja or Europe and fails to make the big money his mates make, there must be a cousin or uncle responsible. If a man swans through the city having unprotected sex and gets the HIV virus, then the enemies must be working overtime.
Against a backdrop of such scenarios that are commonplace in Nigerian movies, Stepping Stones Nigeria takes the view that such portrayals in a powerful medium such as film makes it easier for crooked men and women of God to convince spiritually fragile families that all their problems stem from evil works of child witches. The Fake Prophet, a new Nollywood movie produced by Stepping Stones Nigeria in association with TFP Global Network and directed by Teco Benson, the czar of the action genre in the Nigerian film industry, attempts to counter the status quo. The new movie which received its London premiere at the Amnesty International Centre on July 24th 2010, is raised on the premise that false accusations against, and destruction of, children can only further impoverish and ruin the ignorant. Whereas two decades of Nollywood movies have sold the story that every misfortune is a result of juju, The Fake Prophet argues, not that there are no principalities and powers, but that not every misfortune is caused by the supernatural.
James Udofia (Charles Okafor) is a courier in a human trafficking racket run by Honourable Igbinosa (Big Fred Ezimmadu). Between Udofia and Igbinosa they ship off girls in rotten situations from Nigeria to Europe, where they are thrown into prostitution. When a run fails and Udofia loses Igbinosa’s cargo, Udofia flees to his village in Akwa Ibom State to hide from Igbinosa’s wrath. Without any known talents, without any education, without any marketable skills, Udofia’s life soon becomes pure drudgery, until his eureka moment, when he gets the idea to start a church. Soon enough he begins to perform miracles with hired actors, and begins to accuse children of witchcraft, taking huge sums of money from their parents in order to deliver them. Despite his inability to successfully deliver any child from witchcraft, he establishes a powerful base on a platform of terror and blackmail. Prophet Udofia is soon responsible for several deaths of children and exile of others, notably Ekaette (Grace Amah) and Inyang (Samuel Ajibola) – the duo accused of killing Ekaette’s father and banished from the village.
It is easy to misunderstand The Fake Prophet as an anti-Pentecostal church or anti-Pentecostal Pastors rhetoric. The film is not as simple as that. The church and its pastor are only a vehicle by which the film-makers anchor their tale. There are, inevitably, some allusions to the norm in Pentecostal churches that for anyone to receive blessings or deliverance from God, he or she must give large sums of money to God, meaning the church, but that’s not what this film is about. The theme of greed runs through the film like a haunting soundtrack epitomised in the lives of James Udofia through his fraudulent ministry and Honourable Igbinosa through his human trafficking and prostitution racket. The film also explores an unfaltering friendship in the face of adversity as exemplified by Inyang and Ekaette, and the capitulation of principles on the account of self-preservation in their school principal. The makers of this film in fact tackle so many important issues as sub-themes in just under two hours, but the most fundamental question it raises is, do parents not know their children? If a father or mother knows his or her child, has raised the child, has played with the child, has eaten with the child, if there is something unnatural about the child, that parent will know. The ease with which parents are turned against their children in the environment that feeds this film is shocking. The wickedness that the parents deal out on their own children is even more mind-numbing. Prophet Udofia and others like him only survive for as long as they do because many parents are busy trying to preserve their own lives or their businesses, that they fail to do their primary duty which is parenting – and parenting involves trusting one’s child, loving one’s child unconditionally, and protecting that child. Parents in The Fake Prophet simply don’t know their job description and that’s why evil triumphs for as long as it does.
Right then, The Fake Prophet has a lot to say and says it eloquently. But is it any good? Teco Benson achieves a nice pace and suspense, and thankfully, the movie achieves a resolution of the conflicts it raises without that intestine-chopping ‘watch out for part 2’ or ‘To God be the Glory’. This is a complete film and audiences will be pleased with that. The picture quality is good, and the sound is perfect. There is never that Nollywood annoyance of background music becoming foreground music which drowns the voices of the actors. With The Fake Prophet, one can see the film without being forced to become a lip reader. There are however some editing issues. Several scenes don’t get resolved before others are cut to. This may be down to the multi-layered story, and trying to do so much in one movie. It may also be that the director does not wish to spoon-feed the audience, giving them room to fill in the blank spaces. That is not such a bad intention, but it is not clear if that is what he intended. The screenwriter does not particularly have a good ear for dialogue, but that is only evident because the film being what it is; a social information, social education vehicle that cuts it fine between entertainment and moral instruction, it tends to get preachy in parts, over-explaining things as if the audience won’t get it just by the message conveyed by actions. Again this is forgivable because the only way this film will achieve its objective is to be comprehensible to the ordinary folks, especially the semi-literate or illiterate citizens who hang on to every word of their religious leaders without question.
On the performances, Charles Okafor sparkles as James Udofia. His energy, charisma and screen presence is what essentially keeps the heart of the film pumping. Big Fred Ezimmadu as Honourable Igbinosa has his moments and his diction impeccable. Grace Amah’s Ekaette and Samuel Ajibola’s Inyang as pawns of pathos are just too sweet and their roles over-contrived towards achieving the film’s objectives. It is not in the film’s interest that these two central characters are so under-developed and just so docile. Unfortunately too much is packed into passing the message that the characters have no room to breathe properly.
Overall, The Fake Prophet proves more entertaining than it promises. The treatment of the topic of witch children is sensitively handled. There is never a dull moment, which is a clear evidence of Benson’s skills in dealing with suspense and drama. The intense passions expressed in the post-mortem after the premiere attests to the power of the film. The Fake Prophet scores 4 out of 5 stars, and anyone who pays money to see it in a cinema or buys the DVD will get value for money and take away a lot to think about. This is a film that will ultimately save many lives. It will surely raise the controversy surrounding child witches and the roles of spiritually-bankrupt pastors in the murders and ostracism of innocent children. The Fake Prophet is well worth supporting. Well done.
Nollywood Focus rating: 4 Stars
Over the last few years, many people have been dismissive about Nollywood with such statements as; “What’s the point of watching Nollywood movies? To watch juju?” Such people have not been successfully swayed by the fact that not all Nollywood movies are about juju, or have juju content. They have also failed to contend with the fact that the portrayal of people killing each other, trapping lovers, or robbing innocent victims with juju is fuelled by a national state of mind. If a man falls in love with a girl his mother does not like, his mother will most certainly say he has been a victim of juju. If a young man goes to Lagos, Abuja or Europe and fails to make the big money his mates make, there must be a cousin or uncle responsible. If a man swans through the city having unprotected sex and gets the HIV virus, then the enemies must be working overtime.
Against a backdrop of such scenarios that are commonplace in Nigerian movies, Stepping Stones Nigeria takes the view that such portrayals in a powerful medium such as film makes it easier for crooked men and women of God to convince spiritually fragile families that all their problems stem from evil works of child witches. The Fake Prophet, a new Nollywood movie produced by Stepping Stones Nigeria in association with TFP Global Network and directed by Teco Benson, the czar of the action genre in the Nigerian film industry, attempts to counter the status quo. The new movie which received its London premiere at the Amnesty International Centre on July 24th 2010, is raised on the premise that false accusations against, and destruction of, children can only further impoverish and ruin the ignorant. Whereas two decades of Nollywood movies have sold the story that every misfortune is a result of juju, The Fake Prophet argues, not that there are no principalities and powers, but that not every misfortune is caused by the supernatural.
James Udofia (Charles Okafor) is a courier in a human trafficking racket run by Honourable Igbinosa (Big Fred Ezimmadu). Between Udofia and Igbinosa they ship off girls in rotten situations from Nigeria to Europe, where they are thrown into prostitution. When a run fails and Udofia loses Igbinosa’s cargo, Udofia flees to his village in Akwa Ibom State to hide from Igbinosa’s wrath. Without any known talents, without any education, without any marketable skills, Udofia’s life soon becomes pure drudgery, until his eureka moment, when he gets the idea to start a church. Soon enough he begins to perform miracles with hired actors, and begins to accuse children of witchcraft, taking huge sums of money from their parents in order to deliver them. Despite his inability to successfully deliver any child from witchcraft, he establishes a powerful base on a platform of terror and blackmail. Prophet Udofia is soon responsible for several deaths of children and exile of others, notably Ekaette (Grace Amah) and Inyang (Samuel Ajibola) – the duo accused of killing Ekaette’s father and banished from the village.
It is easy to misunderstand The Fake Prophet as an anti-Pentecostal church or anti-Pentecostal Pastors rhetoric. The film is not as simple as that. The church and its pastor are only a vehicle by which the film-makers anchor their tale. There are, inevitably, some allusions to the norm in Pentecostal churches that for anyone to receive blessings or deliverance from God, he or she must give large sums of money to God, meaning the church, but that’s not what this film is about. The theme of greed runs through the film like a haunting soundtrack epitomised in the lives of James Udofia through his fraudulent ministry and Honourable Igbinosa through his human trafficking and prostitution racket. The film also explores an unfaltering friendship in the face of adversity as exemplified by Inyang and Ekaette, and the capitulation of principles on the account of self-preservation in their school principal. The makers of this film in fact tackle so many important issues as sub-themes in just under two hours, but the most fundamental question it raises is, do parents not know their children? If a father or mother knows his or her child, has raised the child, has played with the child, has eaten with the child, if there is something unnatural about the child, that parent will know. The ease with which parents are turned against their children in the environment that feeds this film is shocking. The wickedness that the parents deal out on their own children is even more mind-numbing. Prophet Udofia and others like him only survive for as long as they do because many parents are busy trying to preserve their own lives or their businesses, that they fail to do their primary duty which is parenting – and parenting involves trusting one’s child, loving one’s child unconditionally, and protecting that child. Parents in The Fake Prophet simply don’t know their job description and that’s why evil triumphs for as long as it does.
Right then, The Fake Prophet has a lot to say and says it eloquently. But is it any good? Teco Benson achieves a nice pace and suspense, and thankfully, the movie achieves a resolution of the conflicts it raises without that intestine-chopping ‘watch out for part 2’ or ‘To God be the Glory’. This is a complete film and audiences will be pleased with that. The picture quality is good, and the sound is perfect. There is never that Nollywood annoyance of background music becoming foreground music which drowns the voices of the actors. With The Fake Prophet, one can see the film without being forced to become a lip reader. There are however some editing issues. Several scenes don’t get resolved before others are cut to. This may be down to the multi-layered story, and trying to do so much in one movie. It may also be that the director does not wish to spoon-feed the audience, giving them room to fill in the blank spaces. That is not such a bad intention, but it is not clear if that is what he intended. The screenwriter does not particularly have a good ear for dialogue, but that is only evident because the film being what it is; a social information, social education vehicle that cuts it fine between entertainment and moral instruction, it tends to get preachy in parts, over-explaining things as if the audience won’t get it just by the message conveyed by actions. Again this is forgivable because the only way this film will achieve its objective is to be comprehensible to the ordinary folks, especially the semi-literate or illiterate citizens who hang on to every word of their religious leaders without question.
On the performances, Charles Okafor sparkles as James Udofia. His energy, charisma and screen presence is what essentially keeps the heart of the film pumping. Big Fred Ezimmadu as Honourable Igbinosa has his moments and his diction impeccable. Grace Amah’s Ekaette and Samuel Ajibola’s Inyang as pawns of pathos are just too sweet and their roles over-contrived towards achieving the film’s objectives. It is not in the film’s interest that these two central characters are so under-developed and just so docile. Unfortunately too much is packed into passing the message that the characters have no room to breathe properly.
Overall, The Fake Prophet proves more entertaining than it promises. The treatment of the topic of witch children is sensitively handled. There is never a dull moment, which is a clear evidence of Benson’s skills in dealing with suspense and drama. The intense passions expressed in the post-mortem after the premiere attests to the power of the film. The Fake Prophet scores 4 out of 5 stars, and anyone who pays money to see it in a cinema or buys the DVD will get value for money and take away a lot to think about. This is a film that will ultimately save many lives. It will surely raise the controversy surrounding child witches and the roles of spiritually-bankrupt pastors in the murders and ostracism of innocent children. The Fake Prophet is well worth supporting. Well done.
Nollywood Focus rating: 4 Stars
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