A film adaptation of the book “Shehu Umar” written by Sir Tafawa
Balewa, Nigeria’s Prime Minister in the First Rebublic, has been listed
for screening at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival in Germany.
Dr Chidia Maduekwe, Managing Director of the Nigerian Film
Corporation (NFC) stated this in an interview with the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
Shehu Umar is a story of African slavery written in 1966, but was
published in 1971, and thereafter adapted for a film in 1976 by Adamu
Halilu, the pioneer Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation.
According to Maduekwe, German Government sought to restore and
digitise the film in line with modern technological advancement, using
the expertise of the Arsenal Institute of Film and Video Archives
Berlin, Germany.
He explained that the film is now set for screening at the 68th
annual Berlin International Film Festival scheduled to take place from
February 15 to 25.
“In line with the existing bilateral relationship between Nigeria and
Germany, the German Embassy formally wrote the Nigerian Government
through the Minister of Information and Culture for authorisation to
screen the film at the festival, although all property rights still
remain with the Nigeria.
“The German Embassy is interest in the film stemmed from its
storyline, the rich Nigerian culture it portrays in addition to the
dexterity and creativity of its production.
“If there was no quality in that production, it would not be globally celebrated, as we are about to witness in Germany.
“It is good to know that Tafawa Balewa’s efforts in literature have
attracted this enormous recognition to the Nigerian film industry,” he
said.
Maduekwe explained that the film has gained special recognition at
the film fiesta, as it has been slated for screening three times during
the festival.
He noted that it was slated for Press and Industry screening, and would be shown at the grand finale of the festival on Feb 25.
He expressed delight that the international screening of this classic
film would open new frontiers for the growing Nigerian motion picture
industry.
“I am excited because this is the celebration of the excellence and uniqueness of the Nigerian motion picture.
“It is going to be a global showcase in telling the Nigerian story to
the outside world through films, and it portends a lot of opportunities
for the industry.
Maduekwe said that he would be leading a 6-man delegation to represent Nigeria at the Film festival.
He listed others to include Umaru Abubakar, the lead character in the
film, Prof. Christy Best, Rector of the National Film Institute and Mrs
Akudo Nwosu Director of Entertainment and Creativity at the Federal
Ministry of Information and Orientation..
Other members include Mrs Esther Chukwuma, Head of National Film and
Video Sound Archive and the Industry Support Officer Mr Astone Danjuma,
at the Nigerian Film Corporation.
The NFC boss explained that the team would be meeting with
international investors and organisations at the event to discuss
distribution proposals for the film, as well as funding and capacity
building opportunities for Nigerian movie industry.
NAN reports that Berlin International Film Festival, also called
the Berlinale, is one of the world’s leading film festivals and most
reputable media events held annually in Berlin.
With acclaimed over 300,000 tickets sold and 500,000 admissions, it
is considered the largest publicly attended film festival worldwide
based on actual attendance rates.
Up to 400 films are shown in several sections, representing a comprehensive array of the cinematic world.