By David Ajiboye

Malawian top actress, Flora Suya, is a top contender in this year’s Best Actress category at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), scheduled to take place on Saturday,  April 10, in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. Suya’s role in the movie, Season of a Life, earned her the nomination, alongside other A-list actresses like Ghanaian Jackie Appiah, Lydia Forson, Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku, Stephanie Okereke and Bimbo Akintola, who just got her first nomination at AMAA for her excellent performance in the movie Bond and Fred Amata’s Freedom in Chain.

The chairman of College of Screeners, Mr. Shuaib Hussein said that Flora Suya might be the revelation AMAA has thrown up this year, adding that the award was fulfilling its mission and set objectives, as other African countries were coming out strongly in the business of film making.
“Flora Suya’s role in Season of a Life is superlative.  She is a complete talent that will go places in her acting career.  It is also a wake up call and challenge for our top actors and actresses to up their games. Nominations for awards anywhere in the world is a function of quality of work, professionalism and not whether anybody is an A-list star or not,” said Hussein.

Hussein also said the entries received from  North African countries, with Algeria and Egypt as strong contenders in the Best Animation category continued to attest to the popularity and acceptability of AMAA as the most respected recognition platform for the film industry in Africa.
Kunle Afolayan’s Figurine and Izu Chukwu’s Nnenda and The Child,  were among 30 films that made the nominations for this year’s African Movie Academy Awards, out of the over 280 entries received across Africa.

At a colorful nominations party held at Mensvic Hotel, East Legion, Accra, Ghana last Saturday, the nominations were announced by Hussein, chairman of College of Screeners.

In the Best Actor’s category are Ramsey Nouah, Lucky Ejim, Majid Michael, Odera Ozoka and John Osie Tutu, for their roles in The Tenant, Sin of a Soul, The Figurine, Soul Diaspora and I Sing of a Well.

Kunle Afolayan, Shemu Joyah, Shirley Frimpong, Leilla Jewel Djansi, Jude Idada and Lucky Ejim will slug it out in the Best Director category.  At the star-studded nominations party in Ghana included Mr. Richard Mofe-Damijo, Delta State Commissioner for Tourism and Culture; Rita Dominic, Segun Arinze, Osita Iheme, Paul Obazele, Ejike Asiegbu, Dickson Iruegbu, Kunle Afolayan, Steve Ayorinde, Muma Gee, J. Martins, among others.

Mr. Emeka Mba,Director General Nigeria Films and Video Censors Board(NFVCB) delivering his address at the African Film/Television Programmes Expo held in Abuja.

Some dignitaries rendering the national anthem at the event

Nollywood Actor,Francids Duru making a remark at the event.

Oba Dosumu,the traditional ruler of Owu Kingdom presenting an award to top Nollywood producer.

More pix from the Event

More pix from the event.

More pix from the event

More pix from the event

By Ali Baylay

EXECUTIVE IMAGE MOVIES & FRANCO FILMS presents Emeka Ike, Uche Jombo, Uche Elendu, Queen Nwokoye, Emeka Enyiocha, Adoara Okoh; Story: Collins Chidebe; Production Manager: Solomon Apeti; Associate Producer: Uche Elendu; Director: Mac-Collins Chidebe;  129 mins. 2008

Screenwriter, Nkem Alu’s use of a clever motif (oversize picture of a naked man placed at a focal point in the primary location of the movie) quite justifies its theme: nestfull of not-too-young-spinsters, whose biological clocks are out of whack,  laying in their nest awaiting vulnerable bachelors and cheating husbands. Koko Babes is a farce with poor production by a large measure. In some cases it touches on serious themes like serial killings and four-one-nines with no serious outcomes to affect the advancement of the story.

Digressions and subplots aside, Koko Babes is a story of four spinsters (Princess/Uche Elendu; Esther/Uche Jombo; Halima/Queen Nwokoye; Titi/Udora Ukoh) each out to get one guy they admire , a local star (DJ/Emeka Ike) and to get him in bed.

At the beginning of the film, Princess runs upon promoters putting up fliers about a local celebrity’s upcoming musical appearance at a local night club. She grabs some of the fliers, gets back into her car and runs home to her nest, their nest (spinsters) and lies that her boyfriend DJ, will be performing at a local club in town. Though the gang did not buy into the lie outright, they half convince and with envy, that there must be element of truth in Princess’s claim. Now, with the exception of Halima, Esther and Titi too want DJ for themselves. From thereon, is Esther and Titi versus Princess, and altercations after altercations, stand offs after stand offs, and near-fight after near-fight ensue.

Writer Nkem Alu builds a little dramatic tension here to the climax, when all the girls and even Halima look to the day of DJ appearance at the club. Not much ado in this scene but it surprises viewers when DJ falls for innocent Halima, and the story ends.

Half of Koko Babes’part one doesn’t in any way contributes to the story except the expositions about killing cheating husbands in hotel rooms and making away with lot of loots. Part two has meaning, tension and direction.

If I could guess one essence of this movie, is that stardom in both Nollywood and Gollywood has taken off in the same way the western world views their celebrities: Do whatever it takes to get closer to the stars, and don’t mind losing your soul in the process. If the writer’s intended objective was to write humor, the incidental killings in part one would not have been done on a serious note. But these incidents really injured our viewing pleasure of this half-baked humor.

MY HUSBAND WAS SLEEPING WITH OUR HOUSE MAID-Eucharia alleges
By David Ajiboye

Ace actress Eucharia Anunobi yesterday disclosed to an Ikeja High Court, Lagos, Nigeria, how her husband Charles Ekwu allegedly slept with their 13-year-old housemaid several times in their matrimonial home.

Eucharia made this allegation while giving evidence in a divorce suit she instituted against her husband before the court on grounds of infidelity, lack of care and abandonment. The suit was filed in 2007 but had suffered several setbacks until Wednesday when the trial resumed.

Eucharia, while being led in evidence by her lawyer, Michael Nwana, narrated to the court in tears how her husband slept with their 13-year-old housemaid, beat her up severally and refused to take care of their children.

Eucharia-Anunobi

According to Eucharia, she had been living happily with her husband until 2006 when she caught him having sex with their housemaid. She further told the court:  “we got married in December 2000 but have been living apart since 2006 when Charles started sleeping with our housemaid. When I discovered the incident, he was ruffled and decided to move out. Our children have not seen him since then and he has not shown concern for their upbringing.”

Eucharia also alleged that her husband was a dishonest person. “Barely three months after I conceived, I found out that he was a very dishonest person. He lies about almost everything.”

She also narrated how her husband turned her into a punching bag. “He beats me virtually everyday. I got the mark that is now permanently on my right eye from his punches.”

Eucharia is asking the court to make an order dissolving her marriage, grant custody of her children to her and award N10 million cost against her husband for the upkeep of their children.