NOLLYWOOD DREAMS
FENLEY: - Tonight on Special Assignment the Nigerian film industry now the third biggest in the world. First there was Hollywood, then Bollywood and now Nollywood. Join us on this fascinating and sometimes bizarre journey of fame and fortune and hopes and dreams where anybody can be a star.
UPS: - VOICER - This is movie-making, Nollywood style. In a small village in Eastern Nigeria, a village boy is picked from bystanders to play the role of a dead child. This movie is an epic called Deceit of the Gods. Its a 17th century Igbo story about a good king and a wicked priest. It features human sacrifice, betrayal, an evil forest and the coming of Christianity to Nigeria. This is scene one a mother finds her child dead a terrible curse from the Gods. Like most Nigerian movies, Deceit of the Gods is shot on a shoestring budget in less than two weeks. The director and producer is a 25 year old former actor, Chinny Ahaneku.
PRE-TITLE: NOLLYWOOD DREAMS
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR I just found him in the village the boy I first originally casted was not around so the show must go on so I had to pick a boy.
UPS: - VOICER - Its a Monday morning in Lagos a city of 16 million people in Africas most populous nation. We are on our way to the citys central movie market. With us is Ralph Nwadike, one of Nigerias foremost filmmakers. This week alone, 56 new movies have been released here. Nicknamed Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry has grown to be the third biggest in the world after Hollywood and Indias Bollywood. In Lagos alone, there are 5 000 registered actors. Up to a thousand movies are released in Nigeria every year and the industry has an annual turnover of R800 million. And yet, there are no cinemas in Nigeria. Movies are all for the home video market. A blockbuster can sell up to 200 000 copies in this country of 120 million people where there are 70 million video recorders and DVD players. This is a scene from Armageddon King, Ralphs latest movie. It is already a blockbuster and has almost sold out in the central market in Lagos.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR - We did a movie on vampires. Vampires came to invade a particular city we made costumes Dracula kind of costume and it was very challenging. That is one of the most challenging movies I ever made.
UPS: - VOICER - Armageddon King is one of Nollywoods more expensive products. It cost almost R350 000 to produce and took nearly three weeks to shoot. Its received rave reviews for its special effects.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR I was taught in a writing school that there are three ways to win an Oscar. Keep alive the audience, make them cry and make them laugh. And Im proud of the job that I do and Im proud of my country. Believe me when I get the right funding next Oscar watch out Ill be there that is a promise.
UPS: - VOICER - Ralph Nwadike is one of Nollywoods movie legends, with more than 40 titles under his belt. He also owns one of the bigger studios in Nollywood with equipment worth R1 500 000.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR - Nollywood is very special you get the best script in the world right get the best actors in the world. You get very committed producers and very committed directors.
UPS: FRANCIS ANWACHEI; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR -The things my colleagues and I do are just fair enough. Overtime this is what I keep telling people even when I go to give workshops these things will get better these thing will get better.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE The dream of Nollywood is for every player to be the best. I consider myself one of the very best if not the best
UPS: - VOICER - This is the heart of Nollywood the suburb of Surelere in central Lagos. It was here that the Nigerian film industry was born in the 1980s.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE well this is Surelele the heart of Nollywood, where its all happening, most producers have their own studios. This is a shooping complex they have about three or four studios there owned by some guys from Nollywood, directors, producers, editors. Its a whole big business here actually. We get our funds virtually from the Man from above from God, friends family, whatever. You dont go to banks because banks wont listen to you. Nollywood is here to stay, Bollywood watch out, Hollywood here we come . We run on a very low budget, we also run on problems of electricity, the problem of controlling the crowd when youre shooting because nobody listens to you. So many factors which you probably see on location.
UPS: - FRANCIS ANWACHEL - So you still face the challenge of traffic, the challenge of noise, you face the challenge of rain, you face the challenge of people you need to use their homes.
UPS: - VOICER - And then there is the whole issue of censorship. Religious themes and sexual images are almost taboo. It was a love scene like this that got an 18-age restriction slapped on Francis latest movie.
UPS: - FRANCIS ANWACHEL - We made sure you could not touch so much, you could kiss perhaps not very deep and very detailed. So we tried to culture it the best way.
UPS: - VOICER - Many people claim that Nollywood is controlled by the marketers and distributors the money men. Ralph recently tried to market Armageddon King himself. He received death threats, had to withdraw his movie from the market and eventually handed it over to established distributors.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE Just like any big business in the world, there are some mafias that are very powerful. It is either you are part of that mafia or you are not.
UPS: - FRANCIS ANWACHEL Things we face here you really have to be strong to make a film
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE - If you are not part of that Mafia and you try to do silent things that will try and upstage the mafia, they will come after you
AD BREAK 1
UPS: - VOICER -King of the Jungle is currently the biggest hit in Nollywood. It tells the story of a gangster who sows death, mayhem and destruction throughout the land to the extent that he dethrones the king and declares himself the monarch.
UPS: - EMMANUEL UGO; MOVIE PRODUCER It is a true life story. The interpretation of the story by the different characters is so super, the technical input is wonderful, every part of the film was executed with too much detail and very thing was done painstakingly.
UPS: - VOICER - King of the Jungle is one of the most expensive movies ever produced in Nollywood.
UPS: - EMMANUEL UGO I overshot my budget. Initially I had a budget of $100 000. We spent about $140 000 to produce that movie. Already it is box office hit, already, already.
UPS: - VOICER - One of Nollywoods biggest stars and heartthrobs plays the role of the King of the Jungle. He is 43-year old Hank Anuku, star of many blockbusters and one of the highest paid actors in Nigeria. With Hank in the lead, a director is almost assured of a box-office hit.
UPS: - EMMANUAL UGO Hank Anuku was paid $14 000, an equivalent of $14 000. Peter was paid $10 000. Justice Was paid $8 000. That is the three major characters.
UPS: - VOICER - And this is Hank Anuku, in front of his house in Surelere in Lagos. Hes invited us to meet his wife and film his array of sports cars and motor cycles.
UPS: - HANK ANUKU.ACTOR Thats my wife, come here baby. Yeah, my wifie man, you know what Im saying, I love her. My cars, 730 BMW, its German. 635CSI. I have a motorsport, this is an ordinary one, that one is 24 valve, its parked somewhere its white.
UPS: - VOICER - Hank is the son of a former Nigerian cabinet minister. He started acting fifteen years ago and has lived and worked in Europe and the United States.
UPS: - HANK ANUKU I was moving on this other side. You all know how it is, how we got here and all the bikes man. Listen the next thing Im getting is a boat. Its gonna be a love boat. We are taking everybody to the other side.
UPS: - VOICER - Hank has also taken up singing and is currently working on his first album.
UPS: - IK PERREIRA; ACTOR/TEACHER - Beautiful boy, you give him a script, one, two, three, four, five, six, he chopped it and finished the job. I mean he is superbly intelligent, superbly intelligent young boy. I love him, I really love him. Yes. I take him on, I own him as my son.
UPS: - HANK ANUKU this is some of the ones Ive done.
UPS: - VOICER - Hank has long forgotten in how many movies hes starred. It might be 60, or even 70, he says.
Nollywoods hottest female property is former beauty queen Stephanie Okereke. At the age of 22 shes already starred in fifty movies. In fact, Ralph Nwadike is wooing her to play the lead role in his next movie.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE :_So basically, its about a story about this young lady who witnesses her father being battered by her father when she was pretty young. The father is actually in the habit of bringing women into the house.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE. ACTRESS - so what am I playing here? What kind of character?
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE youre playing Trisha, Trisha is the daughter of that gentleman, the rich gentleman. I really want to work with you, you are one of the best, one of the very best
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE- thank you and you are one of the best though. I would like to work with you too.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE Thank you, so does that mean youre part of my cast
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE no, definitely not.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie is a household name and face in Nigeria. Shes one of eight children and grew up in Nigerias Delta state. She shot her first movie when she was seventeen and hasnt looked back. She was also a princess in the Miss Nigeria pageant 2002.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE - People call you up an youre free. Like youre booked, I act like every week. You booked from now till God knows when. Maybe Im booked now till next year or something.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie was Nigerias actress of the year in 2003.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE Ive been a prostitute, Ive been a lover, Ive been a mother, Ive been a action lady, Ive been a thief you know. Ive been all kinds of things. I think Ive yet to be a mad woman. I think thats it. Ive been a nun, you know. Ive been a junkie.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie earns up to R80 000 for every movie that she acts in. She drives a brand new Mercedes Benz.
UPS : - STEPHANIE OKEREKE- I love to cook, I love to shop, shopping, I love shopping, buy new things and stuff. Visit friends, hang out, watch movies. I do not normally work out per say but I need to start doing it because I need to firm up a little bit. Well my favourite movie, I think I like Eye of the Gods, I was this mean goddess you know. It was a really strong character for me to play.
UPS: - VOICER - In Eye of the Gods, Stephanie stars in one of the most controversial rape scenes ever filmed in Nollywood.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE I want to be an international actress. And I want to have different accents, Im going to be able to have a South African accent. I shot in South Africa last year the movie for MNET, it is called Snitch.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie might be on the verge of breaking into the international movie scene.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE and I went for a casting in Hollywood, for a movie called Good Sherperd. Thats supposed to be directed by Robert De Niro.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie Okereke, Hank Anuku and even Ralph Nwadike have become idols to Nigerias aspiring young actors and movie makers.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE I do not know what to do to them, they call me every second. I receive a lot of calls everyday, how they got my number I dont know.
UPS: - HANK ANUKU U see I switched of my phone man, it would have been cut, cut, cut, cut. But, they are millions man, I cant count them.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE I love your movies, Im inlove with you, are you married? Ok, I wanna marry you, I wanna date you, can you have dinner with me? All kinds of stuff, you can just imagine it.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE - So basically the dream of Nollywood is for every aspiring man or woman who wants to be like a Ralph Nwadike, Hank Anunku tomorrow. The dream is you can be whatever you want to be, I get calls from morning till night, sometimes they call me at the wee hours of the night. And they just say look, were sorry we just saw youre number and we want to be a star, we want to write.
AD BREAK 2
UPS: - VOICER - This is Enugu, a state capital in south eastern Nigeria. Enugu is the Nigerian film industrys second most important centre.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE- who wrote the script?
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU yes
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE you wrote the script? And all these 120 members of your cast are they doing for free or are you going to pay them?
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- Im gonna pay everyone of them.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE- so this is an epic you say?
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- yes its an epic story.
UPS: - VOICER - We met up with aspiring young director, producer, scriptwriter and actor Chinny Ahaneku.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU and that is the king
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE and this is no makeup right? It is for real.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- I was inspired by a particular evil forest in my mothers village. UDI, in UGO state. And as a child, I played a lot in the evil forest and nothing evil happened to me so I started thinking it must have been a deceit of the Gods.
UPS: - VOICER - Chinnys movie is called Deceit of the Gods. It has the sacrifice of twins and the mysterious death of children as its central theme. Chinny is one of the youngest producers and directors in Nollywood. She started her acting career six years ago.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- After auditioning, no matter how good I am, I was told my voice it too tiny I can only be a secretary. One or two scenes.
UPS: - VOICER - And so Chinny became a moviemaker. Deceit of the Gods is her second feature. The first was a disaster when fraudsters forged documents and sold her movie to investors without her permission.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- I lost. I actually suffered because of that movie, till now. I have a court case because of that movie, I was locked up for five days in police detention.
UPS: - VOICER - Deceit of the Gods is filmed in a small village, about an hours drive from Enugu. Painstaking research has gone into the movie, to make it as authentic as possible. Chinnys budget is R130 000 which she has borrowed from her husband.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- Right now, Im not really thinking about how much money its going to make. I know Im doing a historic story and I want to make history. I want to have it done.
UPS: - VOICER - Deceit of the Gods has a cast of 120, including hairstylists and make-up artists.
UPS: - MAKEUP ARTIST - the way for me I like working on challenging movies, Working on contemporaries, they are more like a powder and lipstick thing. You jump put in wigs on them. Those are things that are created already. I believe in creativity.
UPS: - ACTRESS1 - Im going to play the role of Mbeke my husband is against the Christians, I support her of course. Also the killing of twins.
UPS: - VOICER - And then there are the hopefuls young actors making their debuts.
UPS: - ACTRESS2- from my childhood I see myself acting, even when I talk, even when I play, even when i laugh people say I am an actress.
UPS: - ACTRESS3 I am playing a servant of the princess. Wherever the princess is, I will be there, serving her, giving her all the services she needs.
UPS: - ACTRESS4 I have this passion for acting and I know one day I will be a star, Ill make it.
UPS - ACTOR2 I happen to be chief priest for the whole village. The gods want to pick a child from one of the wives.
UPS: - VOICER As the story progresses, more twins and children are sacrificed to the gods by the evil priest. This is the third scene. Its now time for a white colonial priest to appear on the scene and convert the good king to Christianity. This will lead to the abolishment of these ancient practices and the eventual defeat of the evil priest and the bad king. But there is a problem. There is no white priest on set. And theres no white actor in this part of Nigeria who can be called in. Chinny is desperate. Within minutes, Special Assignments Jacques Pauw has been cast clad in a tight-fitting and excruciatingly hot white robe. After a short lesson by Ralph, Jacques is ready to act.
UPS: - JACQUES PAUW -Idol worship and human sacrifice is from the devil but if you accept God Almighty he will save you form all evil.
UPS: - VOICER - It is after all just one scene with a few short lines, Chinny has promised.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- It was fantastic, you did not wan to tell me, you are an actor. You were fantastic thank you. But its not done.
UPS: - VOICER - What is supposed to be a single scene turns into two days of full-time acting. The priest plays a major role in the movie. He brings presents for the king, preaches the gospel to his followers and tries to save twins from being sacrificed. But when the priest visits a bad king nearby, he threatens to chop off his head.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU When I saw you, you were like a manna form heaven. So Im so glad, because without a white man, not just a white man, one who can interpret and do so well, the movie is done.
UPS: - VOICER - But like all Nollywood stories, Deceit of the Gods has a happy ending. The good King and his followers accept God and convert to Christianity. The evil priest and bad king are defeated and driven away. And like all Nollywood movies, there is of course time for love. And who better to play the role of the princess bride than Chinny herself?
FENLEY: - Tonight on Special Assignment the Nigerian film industry now the third biggest in the world. First there was Hollywood, then Bollywood and now Nollywood. Join us on this fascinating and sometimes bizarre journey of fame and fortune and hopes and dreams where anybody can be a star.
UPS: - VOICER - This is movie-making, Nollywood style. In a small village in Eastern Nigeria, a village boy is picked from bystanders to play the role of a dead child. This movie is an epic called Deceit of the Gods. Its a 17th century Igbo story about a good king and a wicked priest. It features human sacrifice, betrayal, an evil forest and the coming of Christianity to Nigeria. This is scene one a mother finds her child dead a terrible curse from the Gods. Like most Nigerian movies, Deceit of the Gods is shot on a shoestring budget in less than two weeks. The director and producer is a 25 year old former actor, Chinny Ahaneku.
PRE-TITLE: NOLLYWOOD DREAMS
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR I just found him in the village the boy I first originally casted was not around so the show must go on so I had to pick a boy.
UPS: - VOICER - Its a Monday morning in Lagos a city of 16 million people in Africas most populous nation. We are on our way to the citys central movie market. With us is Ralph Nwadike, one of Nigerias foremost filmmakers. This week alone, 56 new movies have been released here. Nicknamed Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry has grown to be the third biggest in the world after Hollywood and Indias Bollywood. In Lagos alone, there are 5 000 registered actors. Up to a thousand movies are released in Nigeria every year and the industry has an annual turnover of R800 million. And yet, there are no cinemas in Nigeria. Movies are all for the home video market. A blockbuster can sell up to 200 000 copies in this country of 120 million people where there are 70 million video recorders and DVD players. This is a scene from Armageddon King, Ralphs latest movie. It is already a blockbuster and has almost sold out in the central market in Lagos.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR - We did a movie on vampires. Vampires came to invade a particular city we made costumes Dracula kind of costume and it was very challenging. That is one of the most challenging movies I ever made.
UPS: - VOICER - Armageddon King is one of Nollywoods more expensive products. It cost almost R350 000 to produce and took nearly three weeks to shoot. Its received rave reviews for its special effects.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR I was taught in a writing school that there are three ways to win an Oscar. Keep alive the audience, make them cry and make them laugh. And Im proud of the job that I do and Im proud of my country. Believe me when I get the right funding next Oscar watch out Ill be there that is a promise.
UPS: - VOICER - Ralph Nwadike is one of Nollywoods movie legends, with more than 40 titles under his belt. He also owns one of the bigger studios in Nollywood with equipment worth R1 500 000.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR - Nollywood is very special you get the best script in the world right get the best actors in the world. You get very committed producers and very committed directors.
UPS: FRANCIS ANWACHEI; PRODUCER/DIRECTOR -The things my colleagues and I do are just fair enough. Overtime this is what I keep telling people even when I go to give workshops these things will get better these thing will get better.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE The dream of Nollywood is for every player to be the best. I consider myself one of the very best if not the best
UPS: - VOICER - This is the heart of Nollywood the suburb of Surelere in central Lagos. It was here that the Nigerian film industry was born in the 1980s.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE well this is Surelele the heart of Nollywood, where its all happening, most producers have their own studios. This is a shooping complex they have about three or four studios there owned by some guys from Nollywood, directors, producers, editors. Its a whole big business here actually. We get our funds virtually from the Man from above from God, friends family, whatever. You dont go to banks because banks wont listen to you. Nollywood is here to stay, Bollywood watch out, Hollywood here we come . We run on a very low budget, we also run on problems of electricity, the problem of controlling the crowd when youre shooting because nobody listens to you. So many factors which you probably see on location.
UPS: - FRANCIS ANWACHEL - So you still face the challenge of traffic, the challenge of noise, you face the challenge of rain, you face the challenge of people you need to use their homes.
UPS: - VOICER - And then there is the whole issue of censorship. Religious themes and sexual images are almost taboo. It was a love scene like this that got an 18-age restriction slapped on Francis latest movie.
UPS: - FRANCIS ANWACHEL - We made sure you could not touch so much, you could kiss perhaps not very deep and very detailed. So we tried to culture it the best way.
UPS: - VOICER - Many people claim that Nollywood is controlled by the marketers and distributors the money men. Ralph recently tried to market Armageddon King himself. He received death threats, had to withdraw his movie from the market and eventually handed it over to established distributors.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE Just like any big business in the world, there are some mafias that are very powerful. It is either you are part of that mafia or you are not.
UPS: - FRANCIS ANWACHEL Things we face here you really have to be strong to make a film
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE - If you are not part of that Mafia and you try to do silent things that will try and upstage the mafia, they will come after you
AD BREAK 1
UPS: - VOICER -King of the Jungle is currently the biggest hit in Nollywood. It tells the story of a gangster who sows death, mayhem and destruction throughout the land to the extent that he dethrones the king and declares himself the monarch.
UPS: - EMMANUEL UGO; MOVIE PRODUCER It is a true life story. The interpretation of the story by the different characters is so super, the technical input is wonderful, every part of the film was executed with too much detail and very thing was done painstakingly.
UPS: - VOICER - King of the Jungle is one of the most expensive movies ever produced in Nollywood.
UPS: - EMMANUEL UGO I overshot my budget. Initially I had a budget of $100 000. We spent about $140 000 to produce that movie. Already it is box office hit, already, already.
UPS: - VOICER - One of Nollywoods biggest stars and heartthrobs plays the role of the King of the Jungle. He is 43-year old Hank Anuku, star of many blockbusters and one of the highest paid actors in Nigeria. With Hank in the lead, a director is almost assured of a box-office hit.
UPS: - EMMANUAL UGO Hank Anuku was paid $14 000, an equivalent of $14 000. Peter was paid $10 000. Justice Was paid $8 000. That is the three major characters.
UPS: - VOICER - And this is Hank Anuku, in front of his house in Surelere in Lagos. Hes invited us to meet his wife and film his array of sports cars and motor cycles.
UPS: - HANK ANUKU.ACTOR Thats my wife, come here baby. Yeah, my wifie man, you know what Im saying, I love her. My cars, 730 BMW, its German. 635CSI. I have a motorsport, this is an ordinary one, that one is 24 valve, its parked somewhere its white.
UPS: - VOICER - Hank is the son of a former Nigerian cabinet minister. He started acting fifteen years ago and has lived and worked in Europe and the United States.
UPS: - HANK ANUKU I was moving on this other side. You all know how it is, how we got here and all the bikes man. Listen the next thing Im getting is a boat. Its gonna be a love boat. We are taking everybody to the other side.
UPS: - VOICER - Hank has also taken up singing and is currently working on his first album.
UPS: - IK PERREIRA; ACTOR/TEACHER - Beautiful boy, you give him a script, one, two, three, four, five, six, he chopped it and finished the job. I mean he is superbly intelligent, superbly intelligent young boy. I love him, I really love him. Yes. I take him on, I own him as my son.
UPS: - HANK ANUKU this is some of the ones Ive done.
UPS: - VOICER - Hank has long forgotten in how many movies hes starred. It might be 60, or even 70, he says.
Nollywoods hottest female property is former beauty queen Stephanie Okereke. At the age of 22 shes already starred in fifty movies. In fact, Ralph Nwadike is wooing her to play the lead role in his next movie.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE :_So basically, its about a story about this young lady who witnesses her father being battered by her father when she was pretty young. The father is actually in the habit of bringing women into the house.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE. ACTRESS - so what am I playing here? What kind of character?
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE youre playing Trisha, Trisha is the daughter of that gentleman, the rich gentleman. I really want to work with you, you are one of the best, one of the very best
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE- thank you and you are one of the best though. I would like to work with you too.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE Thank you, so does that mean youre part of my cast
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE no, definitely not.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie is a household name and face in Nigeria. Shes one of eight children and grew up in Nigerias Delta state. She shot her first movie when she was seventeen and hasnt looked back. She was also a princess in the Miss Nigeria pageant 2002.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE - People call you up an youre free. Like youre booked, I act like every week. You booked from now till God knows when. Maybe Im booked now till next year or something.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie was Nigerias actress of the year in 2003.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE Ive been a prostitute, Ive been a lover, Ive been a mother, Ive been a action lady, Ive been a thief you know. Ive been all kinds of things. I think Ive yet to be a mad woman. I think thats it. Ive been a nun, you know. Ive been a junkie.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie earns up to R80 000 for every movie that she acts in. She drives a brand new Mercedes Benz.
UPS : - STEPHANIE OKEREKE- I love to cook, I love to shop, shopping, I love shopping, buy new things and stuff. Visit friends, hang out, watch movies. I do not normally work out per say but I need to start doing it because I need to firm up a little bit. Well my favourite movie, I think I like Eye of the Gods, I was this mean goddess you know. It was a really strong character for me to play.
UPS: - VOICER - In Eye of the Gods, Stephanie stars in one of the most controversial rape scenes ever filmed in Nollywood.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE I want to be an international actress. And I want to have different accents, Im going to be able to have a South African accent. I shot in South Africa last year the movie for MNET, it is called Snitch.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie might be on the verge of breaking into the international movie scene.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE and I went for a casting in Hollywood, for a movie called Good Sherperd. Thats supposed to be directed by Robert De Niro.
UPS: - VOICER - Stephanie Okereke, Hank Anuku and even Ralph Nwadike have become idols to Nigerias aspiring young actors and movie makers.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE I do not know what to do to them, they call me every second. I receive a lot of calls everyday, how they got my number I dont know.
UPS: - HANK ANUKU U see I switched of my phone man, it would have been cut, cut, cut, cut. But, they are millions man, I cant count them.
UPS: - STEPHANIE OKEREKE I love your movies, Im inlove with you, are you married? Ok, I wanna marry you, I wanna date you, can you have dinner with me? All kinds of stuff, you can just imagine it.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE - So basically the dream of Nollywood is for every aspiring man or woman who wants to be like a Ralph Nwadike, Hank Anunku tomorrow. The dream is you can be whatever you want to be, I get calls from morning till night, sometimes they call me at the wee hours of the night. And they just say look, were sorry we just saw youre number and we want to be a star, we want to write.
AD BREAK 2
UPS: - VOICER - This is Enugu, a state capital in south eastern Nigeria. Enugu is the Nigerian film industrys second most important centre.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE- who wrote the script?
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU yes
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE you wrote the script? And all these 120 members of your cast are they doing for free or are you going to pay them?
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- Im gonna pay everyone of them.
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE- so this is an epic you say?
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- yes its an epic story.
UPS: - VOICER - We met up with aspiring young director, producer, scriptwriter and actor Chinny Ahaneku.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU and that is the king
UPS: - RALPH NWADIKE and this is no makeup right? It is for real.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- I was inspired by a particular evil forest in my mothers village. UDI, in UGO state. And as a child, I played a lot in the evil forest and nothing evil happened to me so I started thinking it must have been a deceit of the Gods.
UPS: - VOICER - Chinnys movie is called Deceit of the Gods. It has the sacrifice of twins and the mysterious death of children as its central theme. Chinny is one of the youngest producers and directors in Nollywood. She started her acting career six years ago.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- After auditioning, no matter how good I am, I was told my voice it too tiny I can only be a secretary. One or two scenes.
UPS: - VOICER - And so Chinny became a moviemaker. Deceit of the Gods is her second feature. The first was a disaster when fraudsters forged documents and sold her movie to investors without her permission.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- I lost. I actually suffered because of that movie, till now. I have a court case because of that movie, I was locked up for five days in police detention.
UPS: - VOICER - Deceit of the Gods is filmed in a small village, about an hours drive from Enugu. Painstaking research has gone into the movie, to make it as authentic as possible. Chinnys budget is R130 000 which she has borrowed from her husband.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- Right now, Im not really thinking about how much money its going to make. I know Im doing a historic story and I want to make history. I want to have it done.
UPS: - VOICER - Deceit of the Gods has a cast of 120, including hairstylists and make-up artists.
UPS: - MAKEUP ARTIST - the way for me I like working on challenging movies, Working on contemporaries, they are more like a powder and lipstick thing. You jump put in wigs on them. Those are things that are created already. I believe in creativity.
UPS: - ACTRESS1 - Im going to play the role of Mbeke my husband is against the Christians, I support her of course. Also the killing of twins.
UPS: - VOICER - And then there are the hopefuls young actors making their debuts.
UPS: - ACTRESS2- from my childhood I see myself acting, even when I talk, even when I play, even when i laugh people say I am an actress.
UPS: - ACTRESS3 I am playing a servant of the princess. Wherever the princess is, I will be there, serving her, giving her all the services she needs.
UPS: - ACTRESS4 I have this passion for acting and I know one day I will be a star, Ill make it.
UPS - ACTOR2 I happen to be chief priest for the whole village. The gods want to pick a child from one of the wives.
UPS: - VOICER As the story progresses, more twins and children are sacrificed to the gods by the evil priest. This is the third scene. Its now time for a white colonial priest to appear on the scene and convert the good king to Christianity. This will lead to the abolishment of these ancient practices and the eventual defeat of the evil priest and the bad king. But there is a problem. There is no white priest on set. And theres no white actor in this part of Nigeria who can be called in. Chinny is desperate. Within minutes, Special Assignments Jacques Pauw has been cast clad in a tight-fitting and excruciatingly hot white robe. After a short lesson by Ralph, Jacques is ready to act.
UPS: - JACQUES PAUW -Idol worship and human sacrifice is from the devil but if you accept God Almighty he will save you form all evil.
UPS: - VOICER - It is after all just one scene with a few short lines, Chinny has promised.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU- It was fantastic, you did not wan to tell me, you are an actor. You were fantastic thank you. But its not done.
UPS: - VOICER - What is supposed to be a single scene turns into two days of full-time acting. The priest plays a major role in the movie. He brings presents for the king, preaches the gospel to his followers and tries to save twins from being sacrificed. But when the priest visits a bad king nearby, he threatens to chop off his head.
UPS: - CHINNY AHANEKU When I saw you, you were like a manna form heaven. So Im so glad, because without a white man, not just a white man, one who can interpret and do so well, the movie is done.
UPS: - VOICER - But like all Nollywood stories, Deceit of the Gods has a happy ending. The good King and his followers accept God and convert to Christianity. The evil priest and bad king are defeated and driven away. And like all Nollywood movies, there is of course time for love. And who better to play the role of the princess bride than Chinny herself?