Best Of Nollywood Awards 2016 - Icheke Oku wins 11 Nominations

I am excited to announce that after weeks of screening of over 120 entries made up of feature films in English, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo languages, ten short films, five documentaries and seven television series, the Best Of Nollywood awards jury has released the list of nominees for the 2016 edition of the Best of Nollywood awards and Icheke Oku, an Igbo language film I screenplayed and directed trailed the blaze with eleven nominations.

Congratulations to the Executive Producer Nichole Banna

Aimed at recognising and promoting the best of films and filmmakers in Nigeria, the BON Awards, in less than one decade of its existence, has become the most authentic home grown platform honouring the richness and ingenuity of Nigerian cinema. This year’s edition shall be hosted by the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.




With my Director Of Photography, the inspirational Ken Nwawueze

Below is the full list of the 2016 BON Awards nominees.

Best Actor in Leading Role (English)

Wale Ojo in For The Wrong Reasons

Alex Ekubo in The First Lady

Patrick Leonard in  Woeman

Stan Eze in Not just Married

Enyinna Nwigwe  in Hire A Man

Okey Uzoeshi in Something Wicked

Best Actor in Leading Role (Yoruba)

Femi Adebayo in Gbewiri Meta

Niyi Johnson in Lifeline

Muyiwa Ademola in Eni–Owo

Lateef Adedimeji in Yeye Oge

Yomi Fabiyi in Metomi

Best Actor in Leading Role (Hausa)

            Ali Nuhu in Gamu nan Dai

Sadiq Dan Sadiq in Mat Da Lados

Best Actor in Leading Role (Igbo)

            Blossom Chukwujekwu in Icheke Oku

Amadi Magnus in Akaraaka

Best Actress in Leading Role (English)

Omotu Bissong in Woeman

Judith Audu in Not Just Married

Ebube Nwagbo in Anniversary

Belinda Effah in Oracle Online

Omoni Oboli in The First Lady

Iretiola Doyle in Something Wicked

Best Actress in Leading Role (Yoruba)

            Mercy Aigbe in Victims

Temitope Solaja in Lehin Ikoro

Toyin Aimakhu in Metomi

Wumi Toriola in Eni Owo

Yewande Adegbenro in Yeye Oge

Jumoke Odetola in Binta Ofege

Best Actress in Leading Role (Igbo)

            Nichole Banna in Icheke Oku

            Adaeze Chiegbu in Akaraaka

Best Actress in Leading Role (Hausa)

            Jamila Umar in Kasata

            Rahama Sadau in Mati Da Lado

Best Supporting Actor (English)

I.K Ogbonna in Hire a man

Nkem Owoh in Ghana Must Go

Daniel K. Daniel in A Soldier’s story

Seun Akindele in Black Val

Rotimi Salami in Just Not Married

Gabriel Afolayan in Something Wicked

Best Supporting Actress (English)

            Nancy Isime in Hire a man

Onyii Alex in Don’t fight it

Helen Paul in Ghana Must go

Eniola Badmus in Black Val

Yvonne Jegede in The First Lady

Adesua Etomi/ Ivie Okujaye-Egbon/Beverly Naya in Something Wicked

Most Promising Actor

            Rotimi Salami in Just Not Married

Steve Enagbare in Destiny Gate

Bright Wonder in Fidelity

Seun Ajayi in Studio

Most Promising Actress

            Princess Osayomwanbor Peters in Destiny Gate

Gina Castle in Fidelity

Ade Laoye in Studio

Zainab Balogun in A Soldier’s Story

Best Child Actor in Movie

            Daniel Udah in Opeyemi

Tunde Babasola in D’ Wish

Best Child Actress

            Pricilla Ojo in Black Val

Neraya Akaboa in D’ Wish

Angel Unigwe in Woeman

Best Comedy of the Year

            Ghana Must Go

            ATM

Behind the Scenes

The First Lady

Just Not Married

Movie with the Best Social Message

            Voiceless Scream

Leyin Ilekun

For the Wrong Reasons

ATM

Woeman

Movie with the Best Special Effect

            Icheke Oku

Gbewiri Meta

A soldier’s story

Storm

Movie with the Best Screenplay

            For the Wrong Reasons

Hire a man

Icheke Oku

Just Not Married

Irawe Igbo

Something Wicked

Eni-Owo

Best Short Film of the Year

Opeyemi

D’ wish

Deeply Cut

Pepper Soup

Silence

Homesick

Best Documentary of the Year

Amaka’s kin

D’ ability

For you my son

Best TV Series of the Year

Lasgidi Cops (SCU)

Studio

5ive

Ayanfe mi

Movie with the Best Editing

Ghana Must go

Not Just Married

Hire A man

Eni-Owo

Something Wicked

Movie with the Best Sound Track

Icheke Oku

Igbehinloju

Irawe Igbo

Ghana must go

Movie with the Best Production Design

Irawe Igbo

Yeye Oge

Icheke Oku

The First Lady

Something Wicked

Movie with the Best Cinematography

A Soldier’s story

Eni-owo

Icheke Oku

Just Not Married

Something Wicked

Best Use of Nigerian Costume in a Movie

            Irawe Igbo

Yeye Oge

Icheke Oku

Keji

Ghana must go

Best Use of Make up in a Movie

Icheke Oku

A Soldier’s story

Storm

Black Val

Movie of the Year

Icheke Oku

Irawe Igbo

A Soldier’s Story

Something Wicked

Eni-Owo

Director of the Year

Aliu Gafar for Irawe Igbo

Uduak-Obong Patrick for Not Just Married

Emeka Amakeze for Icheke Oku

Desmond Elliot for Hire A Man

Frankie Ogar for A Soldier’s Story

Yemi Morafa for Something Wicked

Adebayo Tijani/Muyiwa Ademola in Eni Owo

Best Kiss in a Movie

Gideon Okeke and Zhinnel Zhu in Anniversary

Chelsea Eze and Mike Godson in Guy Next Door

Seun Akindele and Mercy Aigbe in Victim

Ik Ogbonna and Nancy Isime Hire A Man

Enyinna Nwigwe and Zhinnel Zhu Hire A Man

Omowumi  Dada and Gabriel Afolayan in Something Wicked

Revelation of the Year (female)

            Inem Peters

Callista Okonkwo

Mercy Macroe

Chineye Uyanna

BukkyAdeeyo

Victoria Kolawole

Bose Oladimeji

Nkechi Sunday

Revelation of the year (Male)

Mofe Duncan

Sean Jimoh

Poju Oparanti

Wasiu Rafiu

Jomiloju Olumbe

Femi Remi

Emeka Amakeze writes...

The Soul Of Ndi Igbo

How a people think is deadlier than what they think; and such has become the circumstance of the modern day Ndi Igbo.

“Egbe bere Ugo bere, nke si ibe ya ebena, nku kwaa ya”,

“Ọ baara isi, ọ bara agụba”

The above are wise sayings that used to be integral parts of the supplications of Ndi Igbo to Chi okike from their first encounter with the sunrise till the sun sets. But sadly, proclaiming that both the eagle and the hawk should perch; while the one that says the other should not perch should have its wings broken in bits, and that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander have all become the proverbial cloth that was swept off by the wind when Okoro; who was yet to become an odogwu tied it around his waist. Ọ were bụrụ ego emekwara mmọnwụ for one does not request a refund of the money sprayed on a masquerade.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge and how Ndi Igbo think has now become different from what it used to be mgbe ezi ka di n’ukwu ukwa. In the days when they recounted their heroic deeds, myths and legends in the presence of the moonlight and often times with children seated in semi circles while Ani - the earth goddes that does not spare evil doers witnessed. In the days when elders were respected for their wisdom and for those things that they saw while seated which the youthful age could not see even from the top of the Iroko tree, rather than feared because of the number of people they diabolically and jealously sent to the world beyond.

A ka na-agba ọsọ ọchụ? Gone are the days when elders cleared their throat to speak and the spirits listened.  Elders of Igbo land have learnt to fly without perching by killing the ones that call them father and the spirits learnt to shoot without aiming by looking the other way as elders are served pounded mbana instead yam. Ụmụaka were na-eresịzị ndi okenye adaka na ọnụ enwe.

The few wise ones still weep for the days when women were won by those who deserved them and the men, by the valour of their strength. The winds have swept away the days when elders, ndi diokpara and ndi ada were given their due respect irrespective of their financial status.

The water that passed under the bridge washed away the days when begging and stealing were considered abomination by Ndi Igbo; because one of the ways they measured their self worth was how hard they worked and how well fed their families were considered to be. Those were the days the Ndi Igbo believed that one’s neighbour was one's sibling; and that righteousness and purity were essential in his day to day activities. Those were the days they thought positively and it worked for them

It is no longer thus. Mmadụ ọ nọkwa n'ụlọ egbe were buru mbe?

But the child that says that his mother will not sleep will of course have no sleep.

Ndi Igbo man murdered sleep when they sacrificed their essence on the altar of self-importance and vainly chose to call themselves ọ kwụ ọtọ ekene eze and taught their children that wealth rather than truth and justice, is the final arbiter; akụ na-ebi okwu, ụmụazi were iwe bọsaa okpesi.

The vanity of Ndi Igbo and largely, how they now think has become a knife that has severed the thing that spiritually held him together, o wee buru oke n’ụlọ, ngwere n’ọhia. The soul of Ndi Igbo man left them and they fell apart.

But until Ndi Igbo agree that their mother will sleep by changing the way they think, they will continue to be denied sleep.

Emeka Amakeze writes...