ABUJA – Two Movie Producers, Emem Isong and Tunde Kelani won one million naira each for producing films that promote integrity and family values.
The award, organised Abuja by the Nigeria Integrity Film Awards (Homevida) and The Centenary Project Launch, aims to promote positive values through film production.
Presenting the cash, Mr. Coleman Uba, Director Admin, National Film and Video Censors Board (nfvcb) said the money was to encourage film makers to produce films that would change people’s perception of Nigerian films.
Uba added that the award was to encourage the production of more films to curb the erosion of family values.
“The board’s mission is to contribute to the positive transformation of the Nigerian society through the censorship and classification of films and videos.
“It is also to balance the need to preserve freedom of expression within the law and limit social harm caused by films’’, he said.
The winning film titled “Knocking on Heaven’s Door’, jointly produced by Emen Isong and Ini Edo, was voted for by the public.
The prize for the second category on Human Development Film was presented to Tunde Kelani for the film ‘Dazzling Mirage’, by Mrs Lizzy Iwuamadi.
Iwuamadi, Deputy Director, Entertainment, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, pledged the ministry continuous support for the industry.
“The event is well package and I am happy and proud of the work they are doing.
“They have been able to encourage young film makers to produce films with moral values which are what we are looking for in our homes’’, she said.
The Short Script Competition was won by Orimogunje Damilola in Human Development category endowed by the United Nations Millennium Campaign while Miss Brenda Ogbuka won the Investor Protection category.
Mr Chibuzo Ekwekwuo, Founder of Homevida, said the award was a platform for driving creative messages of integrity and value change through film to Nigerian and African audiences.
He said the platform provides incentives for talented Nigeria Film makers to mainstream integrity values in their film production.
“HOMEVIDA hopes to expand to capture film makers across Africa. It is designed as a partnership between non-profit, public and private organisations.
“It also aims to promote core national and corporate values that are the foundation for nation building’’, he said.
Ekwekwuo said the platform was giving awards in two categories: the Short Script Writing Competition and the Feature Film category.
He said the idea behind the award was the realisation that films are wonderful channel for promoting values to help people define their vision and build their culture.
According to him, culture is who we are, the way we live, do business and through film we can continuously define and set new standard for people to achieve their dreams.
Ms Arumah Oteh, Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, pledged the commission’s continued support and partnership with homevida.
She said Homevida had produced two short films for the commission namely: Easy Money and Mutual Benefit, which convey valuable lessons about financial prudence and planning.
Oteh said this year winning short script for the Investors Protection Film Prize was to educate Nigerians and investors on the importance of the capital market.
