The latest offering from EbonyLife Films, The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, is a ‘blooming’ love story, purposefully crafted for universal viewing. Its first screening was for a critical audience at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), creating considerable buzz for its subsequent premiere in Lagos, Nigeria on 4th February.
Contextually, the film weaves a love theme, with a mixture of local and universal flavours, craftily packaged for a global audience. Its cinematography highlights the familiar sites and sounds of the mega-city of Lagos; setting the scene for its universal appeal.
The storyline is a familiar one of the twists and turns between two young lovers, Ope (Zainab Balogun), a ‘returnee’ trained chef from abroad, and Deji (Kenneth Okolie), a suave, successful entrepreneur. Their courtship is spiced with sub-themes revolving around various supportive and meddling characters.
EbonyLife Films’ Royal Hibiscus Hotel was Nigeria’s successful submission at the film festival. Living up to the import of being Nigeria’s ambassador at the TIFF, it paraded a list of current, notable Nigerian actors, displayed a well-executed theme of love and scaled the critical test amongst equals. It flew the Nigerian flag as a testimony of our long and notable history of theatre arts excellence, which encompasses drama, dance, artistes and playwrights – the most recognised of which is Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.
However, the food for thought, provided by The Royal Hibiscus Hotel and relevant to the current state of our performing arts, is consistency in production quality, in order to remain a competitive regional/global player. A starting point is a mindset like Mo Abudu’s, which employs filmmaking as a viable commodity of exchange in the regional and international entertainment business grid. The current wave of revival, surging through Nigerian filmmaking and the performing arts, must be encouraged and sustained through purposeful patronage of both.
Significantly, the real import of The Royal Hibiscus Hotel goes beyond its entertainment value. A reality check shows that, in spite of the mushrooming of Nigerian embassies globally, our membership in international and regional bodies, and our vast population with natural existential diversities, Nigeria is largely perceived as monolithic and is best known for duplicity.
EbonyLifeFilms is gradually, but steadily, becoming one of Nigeria’s veritable canvases, showcasing ‘who we are, what we look like, how we think and how we live’. That is the measure of what EbonyLife Films does to put a stamp on our existential identity as a PEOPLE and a NATION.
To EbonyLifeFilms: Lights on, curtains drawn, take a bow!
Ope’s mother, Rose Adeniyi (Rachel Oniga), is the recognisable, true-to-type of all fretful mothers of marriageable daughters, irrespective of race, creed or nationality. It’s a role she plays to perfection, with anticipation of her strut and puff as the ‘mother of the bride’, basking in the imagined grandeur of her daughter’s wedding day.
Her husband and co-owner of The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, Chief Segun Adeniyi (Jide Kosoko), is distracted with impending bankruptcy and its attendant consequences – mainly the loss of the hotel. Both play their roles as an ageing couple to perfection, with petty squabbles and romantic banter which leave little to the imagination.
The film’s main attribute is the crafting of all aspects of the film – from the casting of roles, e.g. the hotel receptionist, Chika (Lala Akindoju), turning a minor role into a memorable one that elicited applause every time she was on the prowl for a ‘manhandle’; to comic, romantic banter between Ope’s parents, with the gracefully ageing mother and wife being as spritely and flirtatious as a young wife.
On display too, is the Nigerian sense of grandeur, dignity and self-assurance through the hyperbolic naming of the hotel – The Royal Hibiscus Hotel. In traditional parlance, it is not a flight of fancy; it is about taking pride in one’s achievement, no matter how insignificant it may seem to onlookers.
The Royal Hibiscus Hotel is deftly handled by director Ishaya Bako and succeeds on almost every level; where each character, scene, costume and bit of humour merge to make the film enjoyable and memorable. It also wears a badge of global excellence, by being one of the three recognised movies from Africa at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The other two were from South Africa and Senegal, with major support from Europe.
Nollywood actress Beverly Naya recently talked to media personality Chude Jideonwo about a tough time in her career. She said that all the negativity and bullying online got to her mental health so much that she considered quitting acting altogether. Naya said she felt like the online bullies were unfairly targeting her.
She said,
“There was this particular blog that literally kept coming for me and always had the most negative things to say about everything that I was in and it felt like a personal attack.”
The actress admitted that the constant online attacks really got to her and even made her think about leaving acting altogether. “I felt like I was being attacked again, like, ‘Why am I always being singled out?’ So it really got to me and it damaged my self-esteem and made me doubt myself and I didn’t want to continue in this industry.”
She recounted a particularly hurtful post that has stayed with her ever since. Narrating how the words broke her down, she said,
“There was a particular post that I can never forget, they said ‘Nollywood can we stop trying to make Beverly Naya happen.’ When I saw it, I was crushed and I cried my eyes out because of that. I was angry because I felt like I worked hard. At the time I wasn’t perfect, I’m still not perfect but I was willing and I was pushing myself and I really felt like I did my best and I was trashed and singled out and irrelevant. I was borderline depressed during that period.”
Beverly Naya is a well-respected Nollywood actress who has starred in many popular films. Some of her most notable movies include “Forgetting June,” a movie that explores moving on from past love, and “The Wedding Party,” a hilarious look at the chaos that can ensue around wedding planning.
She’s also been in romantic comedies like “When Love Happens” and dramas like “Across the Rising Sun.”
Naya’s talents extend beyond acting, and she even won an Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA) for Best Documentary for her film “Skin.” This award sheds light on her ability to entertain and also tell important stories.
Ghana dominated the West African Examinations Council’s (WAEC) recent International Excellence Awards for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). All three top awards went to Ghanaian students in a ceremony held last Tuesday at the Council Meeting in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The outstanding young men hail from St. James Seminary Senior High School. Two of the awardees are proud alumni of St. James Seminary, further solidifying the school’s academic excellence. A total of 2,327,342 students from the five WAEC member countries participated in the 2023 WASSCE, making this Ghanaian achievement even more impressive.
The ceremony itself was a moment of national pride. Ghana’s Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr. Eric Nkansah, congratulated the winners for their exceptional performances. He highlighted their consistent success, mentioning that Ghana claimed two out of the top three spots last year and achieved a clean sweep this year.
Meet the Ghanaian heroes:
Amo-Kodieh Leonard Kofi Marton (St. James Seminary)
Dzandu Selorm (Labone Senior High School)
Daniel Asenso-Gyambibi (St. James Seminary)
Mr. Amo-Kodieh beamed with pride as he addressed the crowd, expressing his immense honor at being named the overall best student of the 2023 WASSCE. He attributed his success to his dedication to academic excellence. Throughout his journey, he actively pushed his intellectual boundaries, embraced challenges, and thrived in dynamic learning environments.
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Mr. Amo-Kodieh acknowledged the government and all stakeholders who played a crucial role in his achievement. “Their immense support,” he declared, “was instrumental in turning this path to success into a reality.”
Extending his appreciation further, Mr. Amo-Kodieh spoke on behalf of all awardees at the (WAEC) Excellence Awards. “We are incredibly grateful,” he emphasized, “to the government, the GES, the Ministry of Education, the WAEC, and especially our families. Each of you played an indispensable part in shaping our education.”
Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo will star in “Out of Breath.” This is his first major Igbo-speaking role in a long time! This is a big deal for Kanayo because he became famous for playing Chief Omego in an Igbo-language movie titled “Living in Bondage” way back in the day. Even though he’s starred in tonnes of movies since then, “Out of Breath” will be his first chance to get back to his roots in a big production.
He wrote in a caption for an Instagram post regarding the new film trailer,
Everyone is at home in his dialect. English language remains a borrowed tongue.”
The movie “Out of Breath” is an epic story told in the Igbo language. It’s based on real-life events and promises to be a powerful African tale about bravery and holding onto traditions. Obi Emelonye, who released the trailer on his birthday, March 24th, directed the movie.
“I have planted another legacy tree by cooking something in Igbo,” he posted on Twitter.
We turn 57 today, my twin brother Uche and I.I have planted another legacy tree by cooking something in Igbo- OUT OF BREATH. To make this ‘olding’ man happy today, please share this trailer until every Igbo, Nigerian and every African online has seen it.🙏🏽 https://t.co/7AWsgxcYWS
“Out of Breath” also stars a bunch of other well-known Nollywood actors. They include Jidekene Achufusi (whom we mentioned earlier), Chidi Mokeme, Queen Nwokoye, and several others.
The movie is special because it’s an epic story told in an indigenous language, Igbo, which isn’t as common in mainstream Nollywood. In recent years, there have been a few other successful epic movies in Yoruba, another Nigerian language. Some of these movies include “Aníkúlápó” and “King of Thieves.” Another Yoruba epic called “Beast of Two Worlds” is actually coming out in theatres on March 29th.
There’s no word yet on exactly when “Out of Breath” will be released in theatres.