Movie producer, Chidi Nwokeabia is planning something big for the industry as he revealed last week, even as he let the world know why he had been media shy all these years. “What happened was that at the beginning, when I set up the company, Macnuel Productions, in 2003, I wanted to build a very enviable brand. Consequently, I was more in the background while building Macnuel. By the end of 2007, the company and its works had become more prominent than the person behind it. Therefore, it might not be correct to say it was a deliberate act. It just happened. That is why I refer people to our website each time they want to know about what we have done in Macnuel. For me, it is not just about me. It is a collective effort of all the people who, over the years, have been part of our humble success story.”
And who is Chidi?
Chidi Nuel Nwokeabia is the man at the helm of affairs at Macnuel Productions Limited. I am a filmmaker through and through. I studied Accountancy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and I also have n MBA in human resources management. I started as an actor in 1993 but in 1997 I left to do other things but came back in 2003 as a producer. I also do a little bit of scriptwriting, not commercially but strictly for company use.”
The tall, handsome dude is into something new, something big: “After our last job, Champions of Our Time, which won several awards, I have been very careful about doing another job. I have three productions lined up but the big one is called A Chance to Dance, A dance story that has taken me two years to put together. There was a time music, acting, comedy or football were vocations meant for people who were supposedly dunderheads. Now, these vocations, so to speak, rake in megabucks and parents encourage their children to engage in them. Dance is about to take the place of these other vocations. Eighty-five per cent of Nigerian youths engage in one form of dance or the other. There are reality shows on dance. The innovativeness of contemporary Nigerian music has also helped the Nigerian style of hip-hop dance. Therefore, A Chance to Dance is a mega film project that will showcase the talents in those Nigerian youths who society has branded ghetto hoodlums and criminals in Mushin, Ajegunle, Shitta, Isale Eko, and other areas of Lagos State. Among the cast will be professional dancers and notable Nigerian hip-hop musicians whose lives and grass-to-grace success stories will boost the confidence of that ‘hoodlum’ or ‘criminal’ who we have chosen to celebrate their acts instead of their talents. The film is set in Ajegunle, Shitta, Isale Eko, Mushin, Agege and other ghetto neighborhoods in Lagos.”
Nwokeabia seems to have a big headache at the moment. He said, “Sponsorship has become a major challenge in Nollywood. It is surprising that with all the efforts practitioners have put in place in building the industry, a typical filmmaker does not command any respect but is merely tolerated. Visit any office, the first thing you hear is how Nollywood has done so well without support, how presidents and CEOs of other countries commend our efforts, and ask them about our stars in Nigeria.
“Present a proposal on a film project and you become a pariah in that office. I have said it in different forums that we have quality filmmakers in Nollywood, irrespective of the substandard productions being churned out by a few who are bent on destroying what has been built over the years by seasoned filmmakers.”
He, continued by saying, “I count myself lucky and exceptionally, divinely; in 2009, the executive governor of Lagos State graciously sponsored our award-winning film, ‘Champions of Our Time. I also thank God that we did not disappoint him and the government of Lagos State.
“Unfortunately, our achievements with that flick have not brought other sponsors as we have not been as lucky with A Chance to Dance, which, to me, is a bigger and more impacting film project.”
The post Filmmaker, Nwokeabia, presents A Chance to Dance appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.