Creative Industry

Zuma Film Festival gets December 1st 2023 As kick-off Date

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2023

Joel Ajayi

Organizer of one of the best festivals in the country Zuma Film Festival (ZUFF) has announced that 2023 edition of the festival will hold between December 1st till 10th later this year in the federal capital city on Nigeria.

The festival, which has continued to witness massive domestic, continental and global participation as well as attendance over the years especially since it got being held annually from year 2017 till date.
This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja, and signed by Brian Etuk, spokesperson for Zuma Film Festival; and Public Affairs Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation.

The statement which outlined some of the key programmes of the 10-day gathering of captains of the film and television industry as well as other stakeholders from across Nigeria, and beyond the continent, will once more present the best of Nigeria’s creative, film and entertainment industry to the world, Etuk said. ZUMA Film Festival 2023, will be the second in the series of a 10-year collaborative partnership for the joint hosting of the annual film event by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC).

Themed “Cultural Convergence”, the festival will focus on harnessing potentials and opportunities inherent in the convergence of diverse cultures of the world through the audio-visual medium.

Programme bouquet of the festival include daily film screening, film master classes, symposia, film and television market, content creation and exhibition fora, film project pitching sessions, co-production engagements, annual film lecture, states and foreign nations (Embassy/High Commission) special days; special lifetime tributes, zuma awards; and the second leg of the Nigeria – South Africa Film Festival.

The first leg, known as the South Africa-Nigeria Film Festival will take place during the 44th edition of Durban Film Festival/Film Mart Institute – July 20th – 30th, 2023. Expected during the December film fiesta will be a robust continental and global film stakeholder and film commission participation and attendance, who will join Nigeria’s stakeholders in bringing their wealth and experiences to bear at the various festival programmes.

Their engagements will form part of the unifying efforts by participants in the promotion of global peace, progress and development using the audio-visual medium.

NFC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, on behalf of the Corporation and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says that efforts in mounting a successful Zuma film festival 2023, are in top gear, given the successful outing of 2022, and the global importance of such an activity.

Dr. Maduekwe assured that both the FCTA and the NFC are committed to mounting an impactful ZUFF 2023, whose preparations, including invitations to potential sponsors and partners are being sustained. He equally assured that various sub-committees have been constituted to effectively drive the film festival.

The International Conference Centre, Abuja, he maintained will be a beehive of film festival activities and engagements, with opportunities to promote Nigeria’s dominance of the continental creative economy.

According to Dr. Maduekwe, ZUFF 2023, the 13th in the series will among others, provide a platform for the recognition of Nigerian film makers who have or are adding the needed value to the development of the art and business of filmmaking. Equally, Dr. Maduekwe explained that the vast growth and great potentials within the film sector of Nigeria makes it imperative for a continuous robust domestic, continental and global engagement where those who develop and produce content for film and television are accessed to opportunities of funding, marketing, distribution and exhibition.

“We must continue to create opportunities through platforms such as Zuma film festival, to deploy our energy and resources to harness the rich diverse continental yet beautiful cultures, in promoting people-to-people interaction, peace, economic prosperity and development”.

The statement added that call for, and mode of submission of film entries will soon be made public, having already constituted the Jury for the film festival which will also be announced, along with ZUFF 2023 film freeway and website addresses soon.

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Creative Industry

Stephanie Linus, Juliet Ibrahim 8 others Appointed Jury Members For Zuma International Film Festival

Published

1 month ago

November 13, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

Ten-member 10 jury of reputable Nigerian and foreign filmmakers to adjudicate on all entries in the competitive category of the Zuma international film festival, 2024, scheduled to hold in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital from December 1st to 5th, which is jointly being organized by the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has been announced.

Announcing the constitution of the ten-member jury through a statement issued in Abuja (on Monday, November, 11, 2024); Brian Etuk, NFC’s Director of Public Affairs, said “the jury is most critical to the selection of winning entries and composition of the jury reflects the premium and niche of ZUMA International Film Festival, as one of the continents fastest growing international film festivals and market events”.

He said, this explains why membership of the jury includes both Nigerian and foreign film stakeholders who have in the recent past promoted authentic Nigerian and African resonate stories, and continue to contribute immensely to the growth of inclusive global film production.

Stephanie Okereke Linus, an A-list Nigerian actress, filmmaker, activist with lead appearances in over 100 movies, including an Afro-Hollywood, USA Filmmakers Award for Excellence, Reel Awards for Best Actress, and recently, the AMVCA Award for Best Overall Movie in Africa as well as recipient of the AMAA Award for Best Nigerian Film for her impactful work DRY was named as the Chairperson of the Jury.

Other members are Kenneth Gyang- director of This Is Lagos, Mojisola as well as Oloture Netflix’s Original from Nigeria; Aisha Halilu Abdullahi – a docu-drama and documentary specialist; Ishaq Sidi Ishaq – an actor, writer and producer of “Kamilu”,‘‘Wasila’’; Charles Novia – an avant-garde Nollywood ﬁlmmaker, scriptwriter, producer, director and creative entrepreneur; Hakeem Kae Kazim – a supremely talented actor, producer, director of great cinematic portrayal of George Rutugunda in the Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda, as well as playing leading roles in The Librarian.

The Triangle, and knack for creating feisty and deeply thrilling characters; Sihle Hlophe – director with multiple awards and over 15 years of experience; Ronya Man – an acting coach and creative arts specialist with handles on Lahira, SIN.

The Johnsons, as well as Juliet Ibrahim – a bilingual (French and English) speaking multiple award-wining producer, director, entrepreneur with over 100 movie appearances. Zaiyanu Tanko Waziri, a veteran filmmaker and broadcaster with over two decades of professional experience was also named as member of the jury.

In the statement, Dr. Ali Nuhu, NFC’s Managing Director & Chairman, Festival Organising Committee, on behalf of its partner, the FCTA, congratulated Stephanie Okereke – Linus for emerging as Chairperson of the Jury. Dr. Nuhu said that the Jury Chairperson and her team’s roles are critical to the overall success of the Film Festival brand, which no effort has been spared in its organization in terms of content, attendance and participation. NFC; Nuhu averred, remains committed to achieving the objectives of sustaining the positive narratives that Nigeria with a huge creative economy, is indeed the hub of film production in Africa.

Zuma International Film Festival 2024, the 14th in the series and themed: Digital Renaissance: Embracing The Future takes place December 1st – 5th at Chida Event Centre, Abuja Nigeria. Meanwhile, Etuk added that the online registration portal of the film festival has opened, and intending participants can register through the link :- https://zumafilmfest.com/zuff-2024-registration.

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