Nigeria’s foremost event for the celebration of local and international film is set to take place in Lagos, featuring some of the best of new works from Nigeria and beyond. The Eko International Film Festival, an annual event which brings together filmmakers, film lovers and stakeholders in the Nigerian film industry, will be holding for the seventh year in 2016, with a focus on partnerships between filmmakers and corporate organizations.
The Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF) was founded by Hope Obioma Opara, president of Supple Communications Limited. Supple Communications publishes Supple Magazine, an African film festival and culture magazine dedicated to promoting the art and science of motion pictures on the African continent; it also organizes the Eko film festival. EKOIFF is aimed at growing enthusiasm for filmmaking and inspiring those already involved in the art to reach for greater things, and contribute to raising the tourism profile of Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. Its first edition was held in 2010 at the Genesis Deluxe Cinema of the Palms Mall in Lekki, Lagos, and attracted filmmakers from Nigeria, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and the United States. The Eko film festival is endorsed by the Lagos State Government.
This year, EKOIFF will be screening feature films, documentaries and mini-documentaries, indigenous films and short films from across the globe. Official festival selections include works from Uganda, France, Russia, India, Poland, USA, Canada, Indonesia, England, Israel, Australia and Spain, as well as entries from local filmmakers. Also included in the lineup of events for this year is the American Film Showcase (AFS) a program which will be executed in collaboration with the US Embassy. The documentary showcase gives participating organizations the occasion to examine important issues- freedom of expression, civil rights, conflict resolution, development rights, women’s rights and climate change. These themes will be explored by guest speakers from the University of California’s Cinematic Department.
The Eko International Film Festival will also include a masterclass with discussions revolving around the theme of the festival- Product Placement in Films. It will be focusing on how filmmakers can collaborate with business in making films through corporate funding of films and brand promotion. Top film directors will share their experience with film enthusiasts and attempt to come up with viable working models for collaboration in this respect. In addition, EKOIFF will be launching its film institute during the festival. This will be done at the ‘youth development in art’ workshop, in which young Nigerians will be trained in screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing, and sound.
The seventh edition of the Eko International Film Festival takes place from October 24 to 29, 2016. The venue for this year’s event is the Silverbird Cinemas, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Click here to find out more about the Eko International Film Festival.
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