Posted by Fred Iwenjora on
Alfie Nze is a Nigerian actor making real waves in the Italian movie industry.
Alfie Nze is a Nigerian actor making real waves in the Italian movie industry. With several billboards, posters, TV promo in his favour to promote his works, Nze is unarguably one of the few Nigerian actors celebrated in Italy yet unknown in his country. Read his story of doggedness, determination and how the shere will to survive is moving him up and up.
He says"I left the shores of Nigeria for the so called greener pastures. I could also say that I was adventurous. I had wanted to travel to the United States. One young man who was even younger than me at the US Embassy told me I was too young to travel to the United States. I asked him why he came to Nigeria even as young as he was. During the interview, I was so unhappy that he even had dropped my case to attend to the next person. If you have caught the travelling bug, then you never could stop. I moved on to the Italian Embassy and prepared the required papers and document in one week and was able to travel. I had left when I had only two days to the expiration of my visa on the 10th of September 1990.
Life in Italy
I have been through it all. I mean the various pressures of transformation from working as a gardener, factory hand and all before I finally became a model and went to the theatre. I had to then chase my talent and artiste inclination. I studied acting in a private acting school in Milan. Since graduating from that school, I have been working for the Company of 1900, a theatre company.
In the past three years, I have been doing TV. There is a TV series to be released next week called So Jour (sister Jo) where I play the role of a CIA agent. Before this, I had also been involved in Fired which I consider my major production directed by Danelle Azzola for Ester Productions. In the movie, I play the role of a black immigrant in Italy who loses his job and faces more problems. That movie has given me fame.
The only thing you hear about Nigeria in the Italian press is the negative. It is all about the crisis, war and all. But in recent times, the movie is the story. It tells you that something really good is happening even though not at the level we all require it to be. I watch a few of the Nigerian movies to document myself and see what is going on. My impression is that a lot needs to be done. Capable hands need to guide the infant to eventually grow up.
Quality
If you go back to the good old T.V. soaps in Nigeria like Mirror in the sun, House No 13 and place them side by side with most of what we have now as production, you will see that they were of extraordinary quality. What we do is mostly to satisfy the market. They are commercially driven. Quantity take the place of quality. For the Nigeria movie industry to grow, there has to be the coming together of corporate bodies and producers. These people must look beyond the matter. Mind you, I have not come to criticize anyone because I don't even see myself as some one who know much. But should be the vanguard of itself.
Italian movies
Ten years ago, Italian movie makers used to paint a whiteman in black to play the role of a blackman. But in the not too distant future, African immigrants started studying acting. Now they are filling their places. I am lucky to be one of those few who went ahead to study and a lot of jobs are lined up for me, even though the roles are limited. Most of the black actors are not getting prominent roles. Most of them are made to play mean roles like prisoners and all.
Nigerian home video
Nigerians in Italy watch home video. I have not bothered to ask them how they feel. But they seem to be happy about the movies and the actors. They seem to use the movies to remain in contact with home just like the way they eat Nigeria food.
Observation
If we look at the civilisation of Europe in the renaissance, we would observe that political, philosophical, technological and art development took almost parallel roads. Many artistes like Leonardo Da Vinci were also visionary artists and scientists who suffered the wrath of censorship of the people of the period. One might be tempted to think we don't have the likes of Leonardo, Michelangelo etc amongst our artistes today but Nigeria and indeed Africa could look into its flock of untapped talents to discover our own Leonardo, etc. It is therefore very imperative that we look into the lives of those men and the history of those culture or civilisation we see as role models to study what they portend for us. Since the twenty first century has brought the world to the doorsteps, of our hitherto unheard of villages, it is up to us to learn from the mistakes of the others, copy them where it is profitable for the enrichment of our already very rich African culture.
What to do
Nigerian movie directors should see their work not only as a means of making money but as instrument of adding value to the lives of its contemporaries while aspiring for places in the bossom of the ever watchful and impartial eyes of posterity.
Actors should see themselves as the fulfillment of that which a great majority of their spectators would aspire to be and as such to know their roles are of great significance. Apart from this, I will call upon producers and the business community to be courageous in making this dream a realistic Africa dream. The movie industry should not be seen as a temporary African phenomenon or as a way ward fat cow ready to be milked or exploited and eventually abandoned. Financial institutions should realise that the movie industry is a promising infant with all the potentials of youth into a giant whose young steps should be guided and guarded by loving and foresighted parents to the promised land of fruitful maturity. The producers of today are a group of individual investors whom the precarious nature of industry forces into rightfully thinking of their dividends before making the actual investment so must not be made to bear the inveritable risk of production. I believe that a collaboration with financial institution will create a way and make the dream.
Fired
This is one of my main films. We were auditioned for the role and I thank God I got the role because playing it has changed my life as an actor in Italy. We were several of us who came for the audition and to be successful in that occasion, is something to thank God for.
Discrimination
Like I said before, blacks are still made to play prisoners and other mean roles in Italy. The discrimination is much even though we are working hard to be noticed. You won't believe it, the dogs used in the movie were all auditioned and I must shock your hear, the dog trainers were paid bigger for the dogs than I may have been paid for my role. That is what we go through. It is not all rosy as we have to work extra hand.
Don Kems releases No Guarantee
No Guarantee, the new movie directed by Femi Ogedengbe is set for
release from the stable of Don Nkems Investment Ltd.
The movie which stars Enebeli Elebuwa, Gbenga Richards, Christy Okonkwo, Robert Peter and Uche Iwuji also features Eve Musa, who incidentally wrote the movie and produced it ultimate search girl Anita Hogan and a host of others.
In the words of Donatus Chikezie, the marketer of the movie, "No Guarantee has several twists and suspense, intrigues and its like and was shot at locations in Lagos.
For Femi Ogedengbe, "this is one of the movies that will establish me as a director. I feel very happy about the outcome of the production because the stars cooperated and we knocked off the job.
NB Plc splashes millions for Box office
The much sought after desired interest of the corporate
world in the fast rising phenomenon known as Nollywood is now yielding fruits.
This manifested itself in the gathering of stars, journalists and other stakeholders of the movie industry at the Silverbird Galleria midweek to unveil the plan of Amstel Malta Box office, a new reality show being packaged by Nigeria Breweries Plc.
In the words of Eyitemi Taire, Brand Manager for Amstel Malta, the box office is expected to produce talents who will drive the Nigeria movie industry from now on. She says "it is a reality show to be shown across Nigeria. Ten new talents will be selected from a pool of entries who will be revealed at a very spectacular gala event to be televised nationwide and shown in November 2005.
Further more, she said "the reality show will run for 21 days and will be audience participatory as viewers will be involved in the voting process. "We are taking the bull by the horn to see that Nollywood survives. That is why we have to help in the search of new talents who will drive Nollywood beyond today. Amstel malta box office will no doubt tap into the emotional needs of our consumers who want to be successful, admired and appreciated by the contemporaries. This event will deliver all these needs wholesomely," she explain.
In the words of Edem Vindah, Media Relations Manager, the 1st price will take home N2.5m, the second prize N.5m while the third winner will take home N.3m. The next seven out of the ten would take home N150,000 each."
At the event which took place at the Silver Gallaria; actors were dressed to kill while RMD was the M.C. while stand up comedian Basket Mouth pulled down the roof as the comic of the evening.
Enter Storm in my soul
Cartoonist, Publisher, actor, writer and producer Peter Roc Onwuka has finally released the storm in my soul, his new movie which touches on the issue of HIV. The production which is a joint venture beween Federal College of Education, Abeokta and Haus Productions
STORM IN MY SOUL is a didactic and entertaining movie which is basically to educate young adults on the issue of HIV/AIDS from the perspective of discouraging stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as emphasizing the need for young adults to abstain from sex until when they can handle the vanous complications inherent in sexual adventures.
The movie juxtaposes two teenage sisters Chichi and Isioma Okoro, using their experiences with peer pressure to educate, and how young people should handle peer pressure, which is the main reason most derail.
While Chichi Okoro a fresh undergraduate capitulates under the pressures of her room mates, Eno and Shade, ending up in Chico's bed, Isioma on the other hand stands firm under pressure from her friend Tammy and refuses to have sex before it is right. Chichi contacts HIV, while Isioma is vindicated while her friend ends up pregnant.
According to Peter Roc, the producer, "The idea is to have this movie exhibited in secondary schools and campuses through sponsorship by relevant bodies and NGOs as well as foundations that are concerned about the need to reduce the spread of HIV. This should not be cumbersome since the movie has already been produced. We do not intend to have this movie in VCD till it has been exhibited for a year."
Continuing, Onwuka says he would love to thank Dr. Kunle Filani, Provost of the Fed. College of Education, Abeokuta, actors like Vanesss Nzediegwu, Azizat Sadiq, Maureen Molokwu and Tokunbo Akinremi. Others are Don Pedro Obaseki Wale Obadeyi and Dada Ikhile and some old hands who also featured.
I go dye in another European romance
Another European showbiz romance is in the offing for young and fast rising stand-up comedian and humorist, I go dye who jetted off to Europe last night to be part of another series of shows spanning seven European countries and about twelve cites.
The shows said to be organised by VKL Entertainment it was gathered, starts Sunday 28th August in Paris and gradually moves on to Austria, Belgium, Italy and Germany.
Other notable faces who are also part of the shows include the so called banned actor Emeka who just returned from a highly controversial showcase of Europe, Osuofia Marcus Ezeigwe Nkem Owoh, and Okay Bakassi who just returned from home from the burial of his father.
Apart from these, I go Dye whose real names are Francis Agoda is also being prepared for a BBC comedy show to show in five other TV products. It is to be shown on five other television including the BBC Channnel 4.
In his own words, the young Warri born comedian expressed his happiness at the new deal and prayed that it works out very well. His repertoir is now fully charged ready to be unleashed. He says "I want to thank all those who have contributed severally to the growth of the comedy industry. I want to particularly thank Isaac Izoya who had faith in my product by giving me the first opportunity to show myself to Nigerians in Europe. I also want to thank Nigerians in diaspora and my fans within for their support. I am very grateful and happy that I am going back there to show case my talent.