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Filmmakers unveil cinema project in Ebonyi to promote Igbo culture

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1 year ago

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Nollywood filmmakers in the southeast have unveiled a cinema project to promote Igbo culture.

The unveiling of the initiative, named the Igbo Cinema and Culture Project, was held on Saturday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state.

The event hosted multiple industry practitioners including Pete Edochie, Patience Ozokwor, Chinwetala Agu, Nkem Owo, Kanayo O. Kanayo, and Cha-Cha Eke among others.

Francis Nwifuru, the governor of Ebonyi, described the occasion as a “welcome development” as it aimed at promoting the identity of the people, especially the Igbos.

Nwifuru, represented by his deputy Patricia Obila, pledged N15 million as support to the filmmaking project in Ebonyi.

Obila said Ebonyi state is determined to develop the entertainment industry for the people and promote their heritage.

“Our culture is our heritage, which includes our language and clothing among others. My government is tagged ‘People’s Chatter of Needs’ and we are ready to support projects aimed at promoting our image as a state and Igbo land,” the governor said.

Unveiling the Project, Pete Edochie commended the people of Ebonyi for putting up the project.

He stressed that the cinema would continue to attract support.

Kanayo and Ozokwor also hailed the initiators of the cinema project in the state and urged them to keep the flag flying.

They described the film industry in Nigeria as the “biggest employer of labour” and urged all hands to be on deck to move the industry forward.

Stanley Ogbuewu, the state’s commissioner for culture and tourism, said the idea of the cinema project was to reawaken the consciousness of Ndigbo toward the beauty of their culture.

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Ogbuewu explained that it is also a way to promote Igbo culture and bring the people together.

“This unique project will re-establish and revive our dwindling Igbo culture, especially our language, by creating awareness in our hands,” he said.

“The cinema will showcase movies, music and dances produced using the language and lifestyle of our people. With this project, we will understand that despite the languages and traditions, we are one.

“There is that tradition that binds Igbo people together, which is what the project is trying to bring alive through the unveiling.”

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Entertainment

Full list of winners at Oscars 2025

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14 hours ago

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March 3, 2025

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US actress Mikey Madison attends the Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, on March 2, 2025. (Photo by Michael Tran / AFP)

Here are the winners in key categories for the 97th Academy Awards, which were handed out in Hollywood on Sunday.

“Anora” was the big winner of the night, with five Oscars: best picture, best director, best actress, best film editing and best original screenplay.

Full list of winners below:

Best picture: “Anora”

Best director: Sean Baker, “Anora”

Best actor: Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”

Best actress: Mikey Madison, “Anora”

Best supporting actor: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”

Best supporting actress: Zoe Saldana, “Emilia Perez”

Best original screenplay: Sean Baker, “Anora”

Best adapted screenplay: Peter Straughan, “Conclave”

Best international feature film: “I’m Still Here” (Brazil)

Best animated feature: “Flow”

Best documentary feature: “No Other Land”

Best film editing: Sean Baker, “Anora”

Best costume design: Paul Tazewell, “Wicked”

Best production design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sanders, “Wicked”

Best makeup and hairstyling: “The Substance”

Best original song: Clement Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard, “El Mal” from “Emilia Perez”

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Burna Boy’s mother bags nomination for Best Manager at Music Week Awards

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6 days ago

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February 26, 2025

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Bose Ogulu, mother of Grammy winner and Nigerian singer Burna Boy, has been nominated for Manager of the Year at the 2025 Music Week Awards.

Organisers of the award on Wednesday announced Ogulu’s alongside other contenders for the highly coveted trophy.

This year’s Music Week Awards is scheduled to hold on May 8 at JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London, United Kingdom.

Other nominees for the Manager of the Year, a category that highlights the best management talents in global music industry, include Alistair Goldsmith, Neil Hughes, and Wes Banton.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Music Week Awards celebrates excellence in the music industry, including labels, A&R, live events, and management.

Winners for the annual award are selected through peer voting and an independent panel of judges.

NAN also reports that this is not the first time, Burna Boy’s mum is clinching international award, as she won the Manager Of The Year at the 2022 Artist & Manager Awards in London.

Ogulu, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign languages and a Masters of Arts in Translation from the University of Port Harcourt, is from a family deeply rooted in arts and culture.

She is the daughter of Nigerian music critic, Benson Idonije, who managed Fela Kuti, and she was also one of Fela’s background dancers.

She built a successful career as a translator for the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and is proficient in English, French, German, Italian, and Yoruba.

Her role as manager is acclaimed to have played pivotal role in her son’s rise stardom on the global music stage, securing major deals and international recognition.

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Among other initiatives, she co-founded Spaceship Collective, supporting African artists and expanding the reach of Afrobeats worldwide.(NAN)

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Why I Don’t Support Disrespectful Wives—Nollywood Star

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1 week ago

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February 23, 2025

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Funke Akindele, the Nigerian filmmaker, says despite being a feminist, she does not encourage women being disrespectful to their husbands.

A feminist is someone who advocates the political, economic, and social equality of women.

In a video addressing skit maker Kamo State and his wife, the filmmaker said she rejects the notion that women are the “weaker sex,” emphasising that they are “strong and bold”.

She urged men to treat women “specially” and not confine them to traditional roles of being in the kitchen.

She further stressed the importance of women’s economic power, advising them to secure financial independence to support their husbands.

“I’m a feminist but I do not support a woman disrespecting her husband. Do what is right,” she said.

“I believe that we are not the weaker sex or vessel. Men are suppose to treat us specially and respect us. Men should not also feel that a woman belongs to the kitchen and can be talked to anyhow.

“We women are strong, and bold. Also, our economic power is important that is why we should make sure we have the power and protect it so we can support our husbands.”

Akindele and producer Abdulrasheed ‘JJC Skillz’ Bello tied the knot in London in 2016 and welcomed a set of twin boys in 2018.

But in June 2022, JJC Skillz announced his separation from Akindele, citing “irreconcilable differences”.

The singer claimed he tried to address the situation but the matter is now “beyond repair.”

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