Dara Ju, Hustle On a Mile take pole position in Afrinolly Short Film Competition
The top three winners in the Afrinolly Short Film Competition have finally been selected. After the event was launched on November 1, 2012, over 500 entries were received from African filmmakers from 14 countries by the deadline of January 31, 2013. Following an initial screening that found only 214 eligible entries, an international panel of judges in the creative industries pruned it down to the best 10 films in both the Short and Documentary categories.
The jury, chaired by documentary filmmaker Femi Odugbemi, comprised acclaimed filmmakers Tunde Kelani, Emem Isong, Juliet Yaa Asante and Obi Emelonye; content producer Bongiwe Selane, New York African Film Festival’s Mahen Bonetti, The Black List’s Franklin Leonard, writer Tolu Ogunlesi, Carol Kathurima and Nmachi Jidemma.
The jury shortlisted 20 entries based on concept and execution i.e the story’s originality and imaginative force, clarity of purpose and its ability to captivate as well as how effectively the filmmaker reflected technical knowledge of acting, editing, sound, lighting, camera work et c.
A voting public then had three weeks from February 15 to choose their top three favourites for the $100,000 cash prize. Voting ended on March 8 and the following films took the top three positions in both categories.
Short Film:
First Prize ($25,000) Dara Ju – By Anthony Onah
Short Movie 2012 Directors Guild of America Wendell Franklin Jury Prize Winner 2012 Reykjavik International Film Festival – Golden Egg Nominee A young Nigerian-American desires a better life for himself and for his mother. But when a lie he tells leads to an unexpected reckoning, he’s forced to confront a deeply personal truth.
By Anthony Onah
Second Prize ($10,000) The Promise – By Akin Okunrinboye
Kemi has been with Femi for five years now. She is tired of waiting, especially since the relationship does not seem to be going anywhere. She loves Femi, but she feels he is playing games. It’s the New Year, and it is time for progress. She has to have progress in the relationship arena. She thinks she is going to get what she wants, but little does she know that Femi has different plans. Produced, Written and Directed by – Akin Okunrinboye
Third Prize ($5,000) To serve with all our Strength – By Ishaya Bako
Mrs. Haruna is a public servant with responsibility to issue call up letters to youth corpers. She is rumored to demand and collect bribes. When several graduates, who received their call up letters late and die in a late evening car accident whilst heading out of state to meet the camping dateline. Mrs. Haruna’s conduct is called to question in a disciplinary proceeding that evaluates if her actions adhered to the service code of conduct or contributed in any way to the tragedy. Director: Ishaya Bako Producer: Bem Pever Written: Alexandra Kure’ave Hul
By Ishaya Bako (HomeVida)
Documentary:
First Prize ($25,000) Hustle On A Mile – By Bemigho Awala
Hustle on a Mile presents a foray into life at the popular Mile 12 Market, in Lagos. Through the eyes of Sanni, a young secondary school leaver who picks soft tomatoes for sale, we experience the hustle and bustle in the throbbing market. The movie touches on soft thematic strands like the dignity of labour, primordial survival instincts and the pursuit of happiness. A gripping tale of grit, ardour and candor. By Bemigho Awala
Second Prize ($10,000) A short “DOCUMENTARY” – By Soji Oyinsan II
A short “Documentary”…. is a short film about being short. Moby “Lil Mo” Dikeh and her friends tell us what it feels like to be Vertically Challenged. By Soji Oyinsan II
Third Prize ($5,000) Black and Gold – By Joseph Akwasi
‘Black and Gold’ is a powerful story of two young entrepreneurs whose struggle to empower startup companies led them to the inception of locally-made beads that promotes empowerment in the minds of people all over the world. By Joseph Akwasi
The winners in the 4th to 10th positions in both categories will receive $500 each. The official awards presentation will take place at 6pm on Friday, March 15 at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.
The Afrinolly Short Film Competition is an initiative of FCO Limited, developers of the MTN Afrinolly Mobile phone app. Its aim is to digitally showcase African cinema talent and provide a platform to foster the production of African content and make same available online. The Competition was supported by MTN, Goethe Institut, Blackberry, IREP and Google as the social media partner.
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