Some of the best movies in Nigeria would showcase in Hollywood, California, starting on Friday, in what would be the first collaboration between Nollywood and Hollywood.
The movies, which will be screened at the Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre, Los Angeles, US, during an event tagged ‘Nollywood in Hollywood’ are 93 DAYS, THE BRIDGE and ISOKEN.
The screening, scheduled for March 23 and 24, will be the first official event on the Hollywood cinema calendar after the 2017 calendar ends with the Academy Awards.
It will also be the first time movies in Nigeria will be presented to the Hollywood industry at an event designed solely for Nigeria.
Speaking on the development, John Hagelston of the American Cinematheque, operators of the Egyptian Theatre, said the screening is a good opportunity for Nigerian cinema as it “still has a relatively low profile in the US”.
He said, “the chance to bring Nollywood to Hollywood for a night made perfect sense”.
Also speaking, Steve Gukas, director of ’93 Days’, one of the selected films, said he is excited about the potential benefits of the exposure.
“The pedigree of the organisations putting this together tells me this is a unique opportunity for our film, myself and the industry. The thought of my film screening at the world famous Egyptian Theatre is mind-blowing,” he said.
“I believe this is a unique opportunity that Nollywood can leverage on to showcase itself and attract the needed support and partnerships necessary for its continued growth.”
On his part, Kunle Afoloyan, whose new movie, ‘The Bridge’, was also selected to be screened at the ‘Nollywood in Hollywood’ event, said:
“I believe the ‘Nollywood in Hollywood’ event is a course in the right direction,” he said, adding that he looks forward to “mutual exploration between the two worlds”.
In attendance would be top Hollywood film directors and actors, producers, distributors and faculty of the topmost film programme in the world, the school of cinematic arts at the University of Southern California.
Also in attendance would be celebrities, Nigerian-born actors and filmmakers in Hollywood and Consul-Generals of some of African Embassies in Los Angeles.
