Top-10 Nollywood Producers In 2014

 

While the year 2014 has seen a number of films released into the market for the interest of viewers, ADERIBIGBE TOLULOPE  highlights the major producers based on their rating and acceptance. It is an endless list of both producers and acts whose dexterity is reflective in the films classified. 

The 10-top producers of Nollywood chronicled in a reverse order are:
10. Ivie Okujaye: She is a Malta Box Office participant, producer, actress, singer and scriptwriter.
Make a Move: This movie is a dance musical film. The story is about Osas and Eseosa who come from troubled homes. It featured Ivie Okujaye, Tina Mba, Beverly Naya, Wale Adebayo, 2face Idibia, Victor Godfery, Helga Sosthenes and Eno Ekpenyong. It premiered across Nigeria on June 6. The film has been critiqued as dull and lacking the complete energy of a real dance movie.

9. Seyi Babatope: He is an artist, writer, producer and director.

When Love Happens: It is a romantic film but with a twist of comedy. It was co-produced and directed by Seyi. The film tells the story of a successful events planner, Oluwanimoduroti (Mo) Bankole-Smith, whose job is to help other people plan their weddings, but however, finds it hard to get into a relationship. It stars Weruche Opia, OC Ukeje, Beverly Naya, Oreka Godis, Gideon Okeke, Bukky Wright, Desmond Elliot, Wale Ojo, Bassey Ekpeyong and Shaffy Bello. It was generally released on October 24 at cinemas across the country.

8. Ayo Makun: He is a stand up comedian, actor and now a producer. He owns the ‘AY Live Shows’.

30 Days in Atlanta: With thisfilm, AY ventured into full movie production which birthed an awesome result because people couldn’t stop laughing in the theatre. The film is a romantic comedy about a sharp Wafi (Warri) boy, Akpors and his cousin who won a 30-day all-expense paid trip to Atlanta. Each of them fell in love with different ways of life. It featured Ayo Makun, Vivica A. Fox, Lynn Whitfield, Richard Mofe Damijo, Ramsey Nouah, Desmond Elliot, Racheal Oniga and many others. Even Uti Nwachukwu acted as an extra “waka-pass” as one of the passengers on the flight to Atlanta from Lagos. It premiered this November.

7. Andrea Calderwood: Calderwood is a British film and television producer. She won a British Academy of Film and Television Award for the Best British Film for her work on “The Last King of Scotland”.

Half of a Yellow Sun: This movie premiered at Toronto Int’l Film Festival, Canada, on September 8, 2013, then in the United Kingdom on April 11, and finally on August 1 in Nigeria. It is a historical drama adapted from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book, ‘Half of A Yellow Sun’. The film is a love story that follows two sisters who are caught up in the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War.
The film, as a Nigerian movie, has gained several international recognitions. It starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Onyeka Onwenu, Anika Noni Rose, Genevieve Nnaji, OC Ukeje and John Boyega. Some foreign journalists critiqued the movies and gave average ratings, for example, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated it 2 of 5.

6. Okey Ezugwu: He is a filmmaker, distributor and general secretary of Film and Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (FVPMAN).

Brother’s Keeper: It is a drama film that enfolded when a woman’s husband lost his identical brother and twin-son. These deaths affected the man so much that he started acting weird. The cast include Majid Michel, Omoni Oboli, Beverly Naya, Moyo Lawal, Tobe Oboli and Barbara Soki. It premiered on February 7 at Silverbird Galleria, Lagos.

5. Steve Gukas   A Place in the Stars: At last, the Professor Dora Akunyili -emulated movie has been released. It is an action/crime movie that Steve Gukas, co-produced and directed. Featuring Gideon Okeke, Segun Arinze, Matilda Obaseki, Yemi Blaq, Femi Branch and Dejumo Lewis, the film was inspired by late Dora’s tenure as the director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The film was generally released on November 14.

4. Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen: He is a multiple award-winning director and producer.

Invasion 1897: The drama is based on the 1897 invasion of the great Benin Kingdom by the British, who then carted off more than 3,224 pieces of Benin arts and artefacts, which, to date, still adorn museums around the globe.
The movie, filmed between London and Benin City in Edo State, took over four years to shoot. It starred veteran Nigerian actors Segun Arinze, Charles Inojie, Nosa Ehimwen, Paul Obazele, Leo Mezie, Mike Omoriegbe (as Oba Ovonrawmen), Idiata Otaigbe and the late Justus Esiri in a cameo role. Famous British actors include Rudolph Walker, Charles “Chucky” Venn, Annika Álofti, Garett Mort, Hannah Raehse-Felstead, Tim Robinson, Rob Spackman, Patrick Thompson and Keith Davinson. Invasion 1897 premiered at the 2014 Toronto African Film and Music Festival (August 29 to 31), and then in the UK (along with an exhibition of artefacts from Benin) on September 13, 2014. Followed by that on September 17, at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. It was premiered from September 23 to 26 in Abuja, attended by people from around Nigeria.

3. Kunle Afolayan: Kunle produced and directed ‘Phone Swap’ (2012), after directing ‘The Figurine’ in 2009.

October 1: The movie centers around a police officer from Northern Nigeria who was posted to a remote town of Akute in Western Nigeria to investigate the frequent female murder cases in the community, and have the mystery solved before the Nigerian flag is raised on October 1 (1960), Nigeria’s Independence day. It’s a dark psychological thriller film, the cast includes Sadiq Daba, Kayode Olaiya, David Bailie, Kehinde Bankole, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Nick Rhys, Kunle Afolayan, Femi Adebayo, Bimbo Manuel and others. The film’s first premiere was on September 28 at the EXPO Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos then followed by general release on October 3. The movie has received enormous attention due to Afolayan’s ability to adequately re-enact the 1960s through cinematography, casting, costumes, location, settings/design and story.

2. Omoni Oboli: She is an actress, scriptwriter and a producer. She featured in ‘The Figurine’ and directed the movie, Being Mrs Elliot.

Render to Caesar: The movie is a crime film that was co-produced by Omoni. It featured Wale Ojo, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Omoni Oboli and Bimbo Manuel. The film was released on March 28, 2014. The story line was of two friends who returned from abroad to join the Nigeria Police Force, only to be faced with an impossible mystery case. “Best Actor in a Supporting Role”, “Best Screenplay” and “Best Sound Design”.

1. Emem Isong: She is the CEO of one of Nigeria’s best film academies, Royal Arts.

Among movies produced by Isong are: Apaye (A Mother’s Love), Knocking on Heavens Door, Before God & Man and the latest,Champagne : The movie – Apaye was first shown to the press on February 10, and premiered in March, 2014.