Creative Industry

Athen Set To Host Leading Global Change Nollywood Travel FilmFest In May

Published

3 years ago

April 3, 2023

Joel Ajayi

One of Nigeria’s biggest, leading travel film festival organizations, the Nollywood Travel Film Festival NTFF, that is promoting cultural diplomacy and cultural exchange amongst the countries of the world is set to hit the City of Athen in Greece for the second edition of the festival from May 7th to May 14 this year.

NTFF is an initiative that seeks to promote films by Nigerians living across the globe to new and existing global audiences with the aim of creating new market places for Nigerian cinema.

Greek Capital City Athen was garnering a reputation as a pleasant tourist destination, “with its rich cultural mix, beautiful sights with over 6,000 finest highland, the one many adjudged to be the highest in the world.

Nollywood Travel Film Festival (NTFF) is a project of the Pan-African Film Development Foundation, a Nigerian non-profit organization established to support and give a platform to hardworking African independent filmmakers to showcase their work on a global scale.

In the world press conference held in Abuja on Monday, the NTFF founder, Mykel Parish, said that NTFF Team has perfected all the needed plans to have the best, impactful second edition of the festival.

According to him, I am excited to share a ground-breaking event for Nigerian Cinema and our plans to host the 2nd edition of the Nollywood Travel Film Festival in Athens, Greece, from 7th to 14th May 2023.

“We are excited to be returning to Athens, Greece after the successful 2022 edition. The vision is to provide a platform for Nollywood films to be screened to people from other races, cultures and backgrounds and we are glad that we have been able to achieve that and much more especially providing the much needed link between Nollywood and other industries.

“Since 2017, Nollywood Travel Film Festival has hosted screenings in Toronto, Atlanta, Hamburg, Oslo, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Lima, London, and Glasgow. The festival’s focus is to screen Nollywood films that would not typically be shown in Diaspora and create new opportunities for the industry. The previous editions of NTFF attracted more than 3,500 filmmakers, fans, distributors, and marketers globally.

“Our next edition will see us establishing the Greece- Nigeria Annual Film week to explore film culture, food culture, tourism, and music.

“The film week will first advance the people-to-people relations between Nigeria and Greece to promote a sustainable audiovisual partnership.

“The Greece Nigeria Film Week will be incorporated into the Nollywood Travel Film Festival.

“We will create a platform for collaboration between Nigerian and Greek producers. Nigerian producers are the most prolific on the African continent with more commissioned projects by Netflix, Amazon, and Disney in the Middle East and the African region.”

While itemizing the programme of events for this year’s edition of festival, Parish revealed that; “NTFF will showcase six movies from Nigeria and two from Greece, depicting the lives of the people of both countries. There will also be a series of short films screened during the opening night.

“Also, Seminars/Workshops Film Colloquium, will focus on discussions/interactions on collaborations in the creative sector between Greece and Nigeria, particularly on how to activate a co-production MoU for both countries. While there will be a City of Athens tour, parties and merriments.”

Speaking on the overall objective of the festival, Founder of NTFF, Parish, explained that the Collaboration between Greece and Nigeria’s Screen industry will facilitate film and high-end TV Co-production between the two countries. Launch Greece.

“Its also going to bring establishment of a film market that will bring together content providers, stakeholders, and investors from both countries to discuss possibilities of collaboration and investment opportunities throughout the value chain of the film industry.

“As well as to create job opportunities for the youth of both countries through cultural exchange, and inward investment for film and high-end TV production in both countries.

In his remark, the Greece Ambassador to Nigeria Yiannis Plotas applauded the NTFF efforts to connect the two film industries, saying Promotion of Cultural exchanges between Nigerians and Greeks remain a priority for the embassy.

According to him, the Film industry plays a significant role bringing the cultures of different countries together.

“It is within this framework that Greece will host the second Nigeria -Greece Film Festival which will take place in Athens from 7 until 14th of May.

“We are very pleased that the engagements and cooperation between the Greek and Nigerian film industry are deepening, and we look forward to this May edition of the NTFF.

“I would like to praise you for this kind of initiative, and we reassure you that the embassy will always be here to help, to give a boost not only to our country but in general to strengthen our bilateral relations. The essential ingredient for that is the cultural ties between our countries.” He said.

Also speaking was the President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) Dr. Victor Okhai expressed that the travel film festival initiative has demonstrated a great sense of diplomacy between the two Countries.

“This is the best time and we are happy it’s happening in our time. Greece is the center of culture that is why we key-in into the festival and see how we can make it stronger and better.”

However, the Greece Nigeria Film Awards Night: Awards will be recognized in the following categories; Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Short Film, Best Online content creator and Best Cinematography.

Others awards are best editor, best Picture, best director and best producer.

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Creative Industry

REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE 1ST OF OCTOBER

Published

7 days ago

September 30, 2025

The Gleamer

By Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa

Remember, remember, the last day of September. It ushers the dawn of the 1st of October. Independence Galore for each person, each member, Nigeria is still populated with ginormous ember.

O Nigeria is 65, we agree to guarantee, The flag of the country, the flag of the free. O Nigeria thine 65, I submit verily, My soul and my spirit. I submit to thee…me!

Atop six and half-century yore, a nation was born. In the midst of the West-Coast of Africa’s Horne. This nation had riches, from millet to corn, With timber and coal, and black gold of its own. Its fortune was plenty; its promise was grown, Its people were filled with such hope; yet forlorn! Even when this wee nation was tired and warn, Beauty, goodness and grace would always adorn,Her face and her lawn, each night and each morn.

Those who saw her birth took an oath and had sworn, To advance her great throne; protect her from the storm. Not long from that form, her great fortune was blown, When the Nigerian land became one combat zone.

The Civil War was a thorn. Nigeria’s unity was torn, ‘No Victor, No Vanquished,’ yet the nation did mourn. But after the conflict, the Peace-Flag was flown, Though our country descended to a corruption filled zone.

Some pilfered, groaned, moaned and their virtues were shorn. We resorted to chaos and then our rise became warn. But of all the carnage, what we must not condone, Is the divide of religions and ethnicity scorn.

For what is this nation, where will we be thrown, If Nigeria divided and we each went alone?

At this time, we are 65; “Folks now we must atone!” Thank God for our fortunes, and we may be reborn.

Almighty’s plan for this country, to us, is unknown. But He gave us this nation to each call our own.

Our own is Nigeria… Nigeria’s our home.

Remember, remember, the last day of September. It ushers the dawn of the 1st of October.

Independence Galore for each person, each member, Nigeria is still populated with ginormous ember.

O Nigeria is 65, we agree to guarantee,

The flag of the country, the flag of the free. O Nigeria thine 65, I submit verily, My soul and my spirit. I submit to thee…me!

Our profane must retain much pain and disdain. The grand tale of Africa’s urbane terrain. When we began our great reign, we had much to attain. But the inane of our journey became a constrain.

Again and again all in this country’s domain Would entertain our interest to compromise the main.

Nigerians had no restrain to feign our legerdemain. Through much strain and arraign, the nation we’d drain By using our internal crane on our jugular vein. By leaving our country with an abysmal stain.

The grain of our fortune, alas, has been slain, The bane of our substance doth suffer in vain. The Nigerian spirit must maintain our restrain, To regain back our right, to break free from the chain. We must sustain our humane and use our brain, To win back Nigeria from a life of insane.

This country is filled with much natural gain, We each have a right for that gain to obtain.

As long as we contain an intention germane, This country will rise to the mightiest plane.

May our canker and grime be washed by the rain. May our country be focused on a righteous lane.

My homeland is sacred, and I must explain, My love for Nigeria runs right through my vein. As I write down these words, Oh, this is my campaign, For this nation to always regain its brilliant mien.

Remember, remember, the last day of September. It ushers the dawn of the 1st of October.

Independence Galore for each person, each member, Nigeria is still populated with ginormous ember.

O Nigeria is 65, we agree to guarantee, The flag of the country, the flag of the free. O Nigeria thine 65, I submit verily, My soul and my spirit. I submit to thee…me!

‘Tis an ode of our independence that came with a fee; The tale of a nation that begged to be free.

My heavy heart; Oh Verily! Nigeria, thy never on bended knee! Awo, Zik and Sardauna made a fortress for thee. Balewa he stood, as did Macauley. To make Ye as brave as Ye can be. But thy Babylon-Beasts laid snares for thee, And spread their nets with cords of glee.

There´s a storm in the affairs of man, If taken at its stride, it can, And leads thee into deepest sea! For those of We who toiled for thee, We pray to see thee always free. Freedom from corruption is thy only key.

Even rebellion is an effort to set thee free. We, protégé, must continue to give to thee,

In the path of those who doth walk for Ye. Some have followed and some doth lead for we,

To unite this great nation inclusivly and happily. For our common good we traverse with glee, To turn our vast diversity into unity.

Continue lifting our nation for all to see, But the task ahead will be very heavy. Now forge forth, struggle and win for thee, Your unending great quest for liberty. Nigeria, ye off thy bended knee.

Remember, remember, the last day of September. It ushers the dawn of the 1st of October.

Independence Galore for each person, each member, Nigeria is still populated with ginormous ember. O Nigeria is 65, we agree to guarantee, The flag of the country, the flag of the free. O Nigeria thine 65, I submit verily, My soul and my spirit. I submit to thee…me!

Whatever will happen we must look up to God, He giveth and taketh with merely a nod!

We must increase faith, boost our love and our fear, Be sincere and revere and adhere to persevere.

We must believe in this nation and love it unconditionally. Keep our ethos, our culture and our virtues traditionally. Nigeria is beautiful, our homeland is glorious;

She’s known internationally as somewhat notorious. Her children are maimed as rather inglorious, But for 6 and half decades she has been laborious. And with help from above, she can be meritorious. So our nation can rise and, at last, be victorious. Motherland, I gift you this Word-Rhyming-Flower, Signed, sealed and delivered by Hanney Musawa.

On this fateful day I do wish you all well. From the tone of my ode, I hope you can tell. My wish for my nation is Goodness-Attendance.

To every Nigerian… HAPPY INDEPENDENCE!

Written Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa

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