The Guardian Life Magazine

Fribourg Film Festival gets underway
FIVE films by Nigerian Filmmakers showed at the Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland, which ended yesterday. The festival opened on March 14. The films that were shown at a special session devoted to cinema’s from other cultures are Joseph Ubaka’s Trapped in a Dream, Charles Novia’s directed Covenant Church, Fred Amata’s Letter to a Stranger, Izu Ojukwu’s directed White Waters and Tchidi Chikere directed Stronger than Pain. The film were screened at a section tagged Inside Nollywood, which was curated by the acclaimed film programmer and director of Peace Mission — the documentary on Nollywood — Dorothee Wenner.

Oba Asa is at an outlet near you
The much-talked about movie from the stable of Saheed Balogun Productions, Oba Asa is out. The film parades some of the best hands in the Nigerian motion picture industry such as Antar Laniyan; Alhaji Kareem Adepoju aka Babawande; Eniola Olaniyan; Saheed Balogun; Yinka Quadri; Dekunle Fuji; and Mercy Aigbe, who has described her role in the movie as the most challenging of all she has played in recent time. Oba Asa, directed by Saheed Balogun will be marketed by Highwaves Video Mart headed by Rotimi Aina Kushoro. Before now, the outfit had produced and marketed successful works such as Oyato, KKK, Tim Bataye, ARA, Jigi mi, and Iyawo Ojo Kan among others.

Waka pass…
Producer: Amebo A. Amebo
Director- Mr. Gossip
Actors- Nollywood Celebrities

Ejike Asiegbu and them
HOW come people don’t want the actor’s president, Ejike Asiegbu, to drink water and drop cup? Why are they piling up issues after issues for him to tackle? Anyway Presido made a surprise stop at the birthday bash of the daughter of a film journalist last Saturday and he spent the better part of the time threatening to deal with some people who have been assassinating his character just because they wanted favour from a certain state governor in the middle belt. ‘I am going to deal with those interlopers’, the hefty actors’ first citizen charged out. ‘I am going to prove to them that I am even a citizen of that state,’ he offered again. ‘Citizen ke’? We asked Presido? He acknowledged it was said in annoyance and that he meant ‘indigene’. ‘Those miscreants have been going behind me to solicit for funds from my governor (of a state in Middle Belt)’. Here is the problem. Everyone knows that Presido is from Abia and is proud to be an Abian. So, how come he is now claiming Middle Belt ala ‘my governor’. Anyway the discussion that ensued later revealed that Presido had his early education (from primary to HSC) in the state and even though Nigerian constitution does not say so, one can be a ‘citizen’…no sorry an ‘indigene’ by schooling. If that is the case, then people such as Pat Attah and Steph-Nora Okere go claim Lagos. True, na university wey she do for Ife no allow her story be from Primary to university for Lagos State.

Dem say Stella Damasus don marry… yes … Dem say
WE don’t want to be left out of the gist making the rounds, but we think that congratulobia (apologies the screen character Zebrudaya) is still in order for the jewel of the movie turf Stella Damasus. Someone who knows someone who knows the dashing Stella sent words to us to the effect that the widowed actress has finally found love. The waka pass, who gave us the gist mentioned that all roads led to Owerri last week for the quiet ‘I do’ engagement. The fellow gave the name of the ‘lucky husband’ as Nzeribe, but what he didn’t mention was for how long they had been seeing, so, that we would be able to properly put the courtship in context. Anyway, we would move from congratulobia to congratulation until we hear from the sterling Stella herself. We hope she would find time out of her ‘honeymoon’ to return our call. Some waka pass say they need to find out from her why she moved up east for ‘love’, when she earns money singing and sermonizing about love in the south west? Is there anything that this saying about ‘Lagos love, remaining in Lagos’ got to do with her decision? Mgbo, na only Stella fit answer ooooooo!

Where is Clem Ohameze?
HAS anyone seen popular Nollywood actor, Clem Ohameze, lately? No one had anything concrete to tell us since we commissioned a manhunt for the actor, whom we cannot imagine can be off the screen for this long. The last waka pass we asked mentioned that the actor, who once had a shot at politics has relocated. They said he was last seen in Gambia, where he is reportedly working on a project. Well, we have been trying to reach the gangling actor who does some business by the side in Abuja and none of his phone lines is active. We just wanted to know what he is up to since the last time it was rumoured that he had fallen out with his wife. One waka pass specifically commissioned us to find out whether Clem’s seeming absence from the acting skies has anything to do with the rumoured face off between him and the mother of his kids? Unconfirmed reports have it that ‘Madam went from producer to producer at the wake of the brouhaha to get them to stop using Clem in their movies until he assures her that he would quit his ‘funny ways’. One waka pass even made the whole thing sound ridiculous when he suggested that ‘Madam wanted the re-assurance even to hold at the popular eagles square in Abuja’. Shooooooooooeeee! Dis no be only tall order but na fat order. So over to those who know anyone who knows ‘Ogbuefi’ Clem… i no know book oooo… To God Be the Glory