Actress, Lilian Afegbai was invited to speak by the African Children Talent Foundation to speak on child education at the ongoing United Nations summit in New York on Wednesday.
I am honored to be speaking at the UN today, on the importance of child education in Africa and the role of the entertainment industry in showcasing talent in African countries……
Thanks to @actdfng for this opportunity.
She also shared a video of her speech at the UN.
Credit: fabwoman.ng
Actress, Monalisa Chinda has revealed she endured domestic violence for five years in her first marriage.
In an exclusive with TopNaija, Monalisa revealed that she endured the violence because she wasn’t in a hurry to leave.
“I wasn’t in a hurry to leave the marriage, I gave it five years… Maybe if the marriage wasn’t violent, I would have stayed from day one from pushing of the head to slap to every slightest provocation….”
She also said that she expected the abuse would stop after the birth of her daughter, Tamar but it didn’t.
“When I had Tamar, I thought that would calm situations. But it didn’t. I knew this was not going to stop. So Tamar clocked one, the violence didn’t stop… So I said if I don’t go, this man is going to kill me and this girl. So I had to turn to God… I don’t believe in separation of any sort. I don’t believe in divorce. Why did I talk to God directly? Because I talked [sic] to in my church then, they didn’t do anything about it.
“I had a pastor. He didn’t do anything about it, not even calling him to order… And nothing changed. I turned to Holy Spirit now I said I’m going to leave. And I’m ready to face any consequences be it the media…
“One day, something happened… He came back and asked for something, it wasn’t available and next I heard was a bang on my head, slaps… My daughter was crying. Neighbours were screaming ‘you will kill her o! You will kill her o! Every day we no go hear something for this compound!’… That night… the friend came over and stopped it… The morning after, I’d packed my things and taken Tamar to go to my very good friend’s place… a colleague of mine who opened her home to me and my daughter… I had to go back again to get Tamar’s, few of Tamar’s things cuz I didn’t have any money…. and then he blocked me and immediately I went into tongue-speaking in my heart saying this man should not kill me today. And after that beating that day I almost died. I decided to never to come back there again.”
While celebrating her 28th birthday, actress Steph Isuma recounts how she was raped in the most humiliating way at 14, attempted suicide a few times, survived a house fire in 2017 and was kidnap in 2018.
So sometime Last month I opened up about my struggle with depression and managing it for years!
Struggling with ptsd from some of the worst experiences of my life!
From getting raped in the most humiliating way at Age 14
To attempting suicide a few times To Losing my best friend to Domestic violence. To Surviving A house Fire in 2017. A Kidnap in 2018 wheeeew! .Living through all of the trauma, the nightmares,the panic attacks has been a struggle!
You crave for peace but even sleep doesn’t afford that. It wrecks your dreams and turns your days into a living nightmare. It messes your head up, destroys your personality, your relationship with your family and friends, your work, your social life, it affects them all.
I decided to share some part of my story just to motivate some people here because I want people to know that they’re not alone
Truth is some of The people who appear strongest.. some of the people u look up to who you envy are fighting the toughest battles too. I can come out wearing the brightest smile but deep down be really sad. ,
But in all…. I’ve come to understand that living is an act of bravery
So , Today….I Celebrate me for never giving up! For holding me up regardless.
Now I know better….I love my life and how it is turning out.
I am grateful for it.
If I could shine a spotlight on it for everyone who’s ever wanted to die, I would, because it’s beautiful and amazing and I would do anything in the world to protect it. And I want anyone who might be suicidal to know how much better life can be.
Yes Emotional pain is real, and no matter how much it feels like it can’t end, it can. It can get better. It does get better. Life gets better. And you get better with it.
ThankGod we don’t look like what we’ve been through!
Credit: LIB
Back in the days (80’s-90’s) when Clarion Chukwura was one of the actresses on the spotlight, she always acted roles that had to deal with the glitz and glamour of a ‘bitch life’, and what religious leaders and people may refer to as ‘immoral’ or ‘irresponsible’.
The actress took to her Instagram page to share her testimony of finding Christ. In this post, we see her without makeup, sitting amongst a congregation in Church with her turban all tied up.
She writes:
“MY TESTIMONY; AS AN ACTRESS, I PLAYED THE ROLE OF THE BITCH AND LIFE WAS ALL ABOUT GLAMOUR AND GLITZ, AND THOUGH I WAS THE HUMANITARIAN, I DIDN’T REALISE THAT WITH CHRIST THERE ARE NO HALF MEASURES. BUT, TODAY, HE HAS SAVED ME – JOHN 3: 16 AND LIKE THE APOSTLE PAUL – ROMANS 1: 16 AND I WILL GLORIFY HIS NAME BECAUSE HE HAS EMPOWERED ME FOR OTHERS TO BE SAVED – ACTS 1: 8. JESUS CHRIST IS THE ULTIMATE…DO YOU KNOW HIM? ARE YOU SAVED? DO YOU HAVE A ONE ON ONE RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST TODAY LIKE I DO? IF SO, WHAT IS YOUR TESTIMONY?”
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A POST SHARED BY NEW JERUSALEM MEDIA (@CLARACHUKWURAH) ON JUN 9, 2019 AT 7:35AM PDT
Credit: fabwoman.ng
Regina Daniels always knew she wanted to be a celebrity. Though born in Lagos, she grew up in Asaba, Delta State – the second home of the Nollywood movies in Nigeria.
“I have always had the dream to become a celebrity, to be someone that the world would care about. I would always put in much effort to make sure I get there,” she says in a recent video interview on her YouTube page.
Regina’s mum, Rita Daniels had a heavy influence on the actress like every mum. However, Rita had a special plan to make Regina one of the most-talked-about actresses and it only took less than 14 years for her to succeed. Regina’s thoughts and aspirations are heavily influenced by her mum, whom she sees as her Pathfinder.
Interestingly, Regina really didn’t have to look far for artistic inspiration to become an actress. Her mum, Rita Daniel is a well-known actress-turn-producer for the majority of her childhood in Delta state. She’d tag along to movie sets with her mother till she started getting herself some roles at the age of 6 with the help of her mum.
“I started acting at the tender age of 6 through the help of my mother, she went out of her way to make sure I was in the limelight,” she said.
Soon after featuring in a few movies, Regina’s lifelong dream to become a celebrity started becoming a reality through acting. She starred opposite several established acts including Mercy Johnson Okojie to feature in ‘Dumebi In School’. ‘Dumebi in School’ is a spin-off from the Dumebi series featuring top Nollywood actors, Mercy Johnson and Kenneth Okonkwo. Regina made her mark acting opposite Mercy Johnson starring as her best friend in school.
Despite working hard to remain relevant in Nollywood – with most of her films from Asaba and mostly on Compact Discs – the actress is determined to complete her education. Regina is currently an undergraduate of the Igbinedion University studying Mass Communication.
“I’m studying mass communication at Igbinedion University. I have a passion for entertainment and acting in particular, that is why I opted for the course,” she hinted.
As a child, Regina shuttled between movie sets and school while facing different challenges. However, one of the challenges she remembers vividly was when a director doubted if she will ever make a name for herself as an actress. She said,
“I was once told I can’t act because I was asked to cry on a set and I couldn’t so the director called my mum and told her that he doubts that I can act. My mum had to call me and told me how she believed in me and she also told me how to go about the scene.”
Spending many of her days on movie sets between the ages of 6 and 17 had its side effect on Regina, who says she missed her childhood because she grew up too fast.
“I grew up too fast, I didn’t have the opportunity to explore like other kids because I never had friends, there was no one to mingle with and I would always find myself in the midst of adults trying to read scripts or my book on sets. That is why I’m so passionate about children,” she opened up.
Regina Daniels agrees to have grown up too fast and misses childhood. [Instagram/ReginaDaniels]
On May 27, 2019, a few days after her traditional marriage to Ned Nwoko, a Nigerian lawmaker and wealthy lawyer, Regina held her annual Children’s Day event tagged ‘Regina Daniels children day concert’. The concert had top Nigerian music acts like Patoranking, Zlatan Ibile, African China and MC Galaxy performing to a multitude at the government field in Agbor area of Delta State. The event further testifies to her love for children.
The cherubic actress sure has high hopes and one of it is featuring in a film alongside Hollywood superstar, Angelina Jolie. Regina says in the next five years, she intends to feature in films that will not only see her act alongside the ‘Mr & Mrs. Smith’ star but also get Oscar nominations.
“By 2024, I want to feature in movies that will be nominated for Oscars alongside my role model, Angelina Jolie. What I love about Jolie are her determination, acting ability, her carriage and most importantly, she’s so sexy,” she said.
From playing lawn tennis to playing the piano and cooking Ogbono soup – a local Nigerian dish – Regina reveals her hobbies and her likes.
Regina Daniels is hopeful of featuring in a film alongside Hollywood star, Angelina Jolie.[Instagram/ReginaDaniels]
“I love playing lawn tennis and I can actually beat Serena Williams. I swim smoothly and sexy. I like playing the piano. I find it very sexy and so matured for girls and I’ve always wanted to play the piano…I cook very well especially traditional soups. My favourite is Ogbono soup but I cook Okro soup, Egusi soup, but I love cooking Ogbono soup more,” she revealed.
Rounding off her over 7 minutes long interview, Regina says she knows many of her fans and critics are waiting to hear her speak about her relationship and or marital status and she will be doing so on her YouTube page in the weeks.
Credit: pulse.ng
Nollywood actress, Adesua Etomi-Wellington will voice the lead character in the long awaited animation, Malika: Warrior Queen.
Adesua Etomi stars as Malika in this animated film written by Roye Okupe, founder of Youneek Studios. The film is about a warrior queen and a military commander in the pre-colonial Africa.
The brilliant film also has Niyi Akinmolayan as its director and Roye Okupe as its writer. Roye Okupe says about the film:
“I have to give credit again to Niyi, who’s also the director of the highest grossing movie in Lagos - The Wedding Party Two…. So we discussed about who we would like to bring to this, and Adesua was the first person I had on my mind to voice it. Not only is she a huge star, she’s super talented. After the both of us went through the proper channels to present the idea to her, she basically said it would be a dream for her to do it. It was in October when she came on board after the right terms were established. A lot of credit also goes to the material because she was able to see some of the stuff we’ve done with Malika and the track record we’ve built with the graphic novels. And I can’t wait for people to actually hear her performance because it’s just so amazing what she’s done with the character in this short pilot. It’s an amazing 14 minutes. You basically get to see how an African queen lived her life back then.”
The film which started as a 150-page book came out in 2017 (set in the present day), and its synopsis read:
“Growing up as a prodigy, Malika inherited the crown from her father in the most unusual of circumstances, splitting the kingdom of Azzaz in half. After years of civil war, Malika was able to unite all of Azzaz, expanding it into one of the largest empires in all of West Africa. But expansion would not come without its costs. Enemies begin to rise within her council, and Azzaz grabbed the attention of one of the most feared superpowers the world has ever known: the Ming Dynasty. As Malika fights to win the clandestine war within the walls of her empire, she must now turn her attention to an indomitable and treacherous foe with plans to vanquish her entire people.”
In 2018, the part two of the story came out as a 15th century epic, and with the animated pilot, Okupe continues the saga. Youneek studios announced Adesua’s lead role in the animation:
Credit: stargist.com
Blessing Egbe has revealed that her new film, ‘The Ten Virgins’ featuring Thin Tall Tony is cost effective and has gulped almost N50 million.
The producer and director made this known in a recent statement while speaking on the film. She also said the project can be likened to an ambitious side.
“This project has gulped nearly 50 million Naira. It is both a feature and a limited series and is indeed an ambitious stride,” she began. “We paid attention to technical details and all the elements that make a movie great, and I believe the audience will feel its pulse,” Egbe dropped.
The woman behind Nollywood blockbusters, ‘Lekki Wives’ and ‘Two Brides and a baby’ said the move to dare to make an ambition movie was intentional. She further said Nollywood is in dire need of content.
In her words,
“Going into this, my intention was to tell a story so relatable, interesting and entertaining, and I believe we have achieved that aim. It is a movie driven on the strength of the story, its style and the execution of it.
Pulse NigeriaA scene from Blessing Egbe’s new film, ‘The Ten Virgins.’ [YouTube/BConcept Network]
“Nollywood is in dire need of content with substance and that substance starts from the depth of the stories we tell. For ‘The Ten Virgins, we told a familiar story in a dated’ stage like and musical format, it is simple yet so captivating. I am excited and can’t wait to share it with the audience.”
‘The Ten Virgins’ is a musical drama about 10 maidens who amidst many temptations must remain faithful in their commitment to the greatest prince in the land. The movie is scheduled for cinema release on August 2.
The feature film parades Honey Adum, Damilare Kuku, Blessed Effiong, Bukky Okorodus, Leelee Byoma, Jade Dunni, Osareme Inegbenebor, Chidera Makata, Oge Aniegboka, Ola Taiwo, Degri Emmanuel, Chinonso Young, Tunbosun Aiyedehin, and late Priye George.
Credit: pulse.ng
Omoni Oboli couldn’t contain her joy as she announced her victory at the court over the ownership of the script for ‘Okafor’s Law’ challenged by Jude Idada and Rancouteour Productions.
In her victory speech, she said judgment was given on May 2, 2019, after two years. In an Instagram post, Oboli narrated the experience in the last two years but happy to have been vindicated.
On Thursday, March 30, 2017, a Federal High Court granted Omoni Oboli the go ahead to release “Okafor’s Law” on Friday March 31, 2017.
Though the Court lifted the injunction, the case remained in court, with hearing of the substantive matter commencing on Monday, April 3, 2017.
Earlier Justice N. Buba had ruled in favour of an interlocutory injunction which was served to Omoni Oboli, Filmone and Dioni Visions to halt the release of the movie in Nigeria.
It all started online in September 2016, when a Canada based writer, Jude Idada, accused Omoni Oboli of stealing his idea for her movie, “Okafor’s Law.”
Jude Idada, a Canadian based screenwriter had publicly accused Omoni Oboli of stealing his idea for the ‘Okafor’s Law’ script’ on September 7, 2017. Few days after the name calling, Oboli’s ‘Okafor’s Law,’ premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Monday, September 12, 2016.
Idada assigned rights of his script to Chioma Onyenwe of Raconteur Productions. Following this move, Oboli was prevented from premiering her film in Nigeria on March 24, 2017, after being served a court injunction filed by Raconteur Productions. Following the injunction, the previously scheduled premiere of “Okafor’s Law” didn’t hold.
Jude Idada had called Omoni Oboli out over the script of her film, ‘Okafor’s Law.’ [Twitter/Jude Idada]
The Past between Idada and Oboli
In 2013, Jude Idada claimed to have written a treatment for the movie “Being Mrs Elliott,” which he forwarded to the actress. However, Oboli produced the movie off the treatment without contacting or paying Idada for his work.
According to our source, the actress defended her act, claiming to have forgotten that a treatment was sent to her by Idada.
Jude Idada, who had no idea that a movie was made off his treatment, got to find out at the 2014 Nollywood Film Festival in Paris, when the movie was screened to the audience.
Hence, Idada was reportedly hesitant to write the script because he once had a bad experience with the Obolis in the past.
The alleged negotiation between Oboli and Idada
On March 30, 2017, Pulse spoke with an undisclosed source who said that Oboli had contacted Jude Idada to write the script and that they had shared ideas during their several meetings.
According to her, Oboli decided to write her own script after several attempts to reach Jude was unsuccessful.
However, another inside contradicted the above source, stating that after Oboli had contacted Jude Idada in late 2014 to write her script, the latter tried severally to reach her, but wasn’t successful.
Credit: pulse.ng
Kate Henshaw believes Ishaya Bako’s ‘4th Republic’ shows hope for a first female governor
In an exclusive interview with Pulse, the lead character in ‘4th Republic’ said the movie speaks to a hope in the future that hopefully, a woman one day will become a governor in Nigeria.
“It was really, really good working with the Ishaya Bako, and Ben Peever, Linda, Eyinna and Uncle bimbo. It was quite an experience because it portrays our political terrain the way we do politics here in Nigeria. And it also speaks to a hope in the future that hopefully, a woman one day will become a governor, not just a deputy as is the norm,” Henshaw told Pulse.
Speaking on her role in the movie, she said her involvement in active politics five years ago really helped her get into character. She further expressed how the emotions she had to portray playing the role came from a real place.
“Another thing is, I believe why they chose me for that role is because I’d run for office in 2014. So the emotions that I had to portray playing that role were coming from a real place. It really helped me. And it was hard which was for, I think almost a month in Abuja and then I had to leave to do the world’s best because, I couldn’t complete some scenes but they had some pickup shots without me, which was okay,” she opened up.
The ‘When the sun sets’ actress was quick to note that she’s ready to go back into politics but lack the funds required to back her willingness.
Kate Henshaw said her involvement in active politics five years ago really helped her get into character in ‘4th Republic’. [Pulse]
“Willingness to serve is not going to be a problem for me but is to have the do I the war chest which is money plenty of money Nigeria’s politics is money, money very, very much capital oriented.
“I don’t have that kind of money to throw away I’m saying through a way because sometimes if you spend that money you’re not guaranteed of a win because it’s a vicious cycle the people keep expecting money you give them money they vote for you when you vote with people they go the reps or whoever the senators are they go away for four years they come back and throw money at you, you receive it even though in this last political dispensation there are a few surprises which is very good and I think that people are their eyes are getting you know open and they’re getting wise to the political antics,” she expressed.
Henshaw contested for the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party to represent Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency vie for a seat at the Federal House of Representatives.
Credit: Pulse
In celebration of the International Women’s Day, Pulse Movies highlight some of the most inspiring female directors and producers who are making impact in Nollywood industry, in no particular order.
Mo Abudu
Ever since Mo Abudu ventured into filmmaking, she has turned herself into a reputable auteur and a force on both the big screen.
Her magic wand produced top Nollywood blockbusters like ‘The Wedding Party’ franchise, ‘Fifty,’ ‘The Royal Hotel Hibiscus.’ Abudu was also responsible for some TV production that includes ‘The Governor,’ ‘Desperate Housewives Africa,’ ‘Sons of the Caliphate,’ and ‘Fifty the Series.’
‘The Wedding Party’ and ‘The Wedding Party: Destination Dubai,’ which grossed hundreds of millions of Naira, are huge success currently ranking as the top two highest grossing Nollywood movies.
In 2017, Abudu was mentioned in The Hollywood Reporter’s annual list of the ‘25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television alongside Angelica Guerra (Latin America), Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner(United Kingdom).
In 2018, Abudu made headlines again with ‘Chief Daddy’ after which she got herself a seat as one of the academy directors for the prestigious Emmys.
Biola Alabi
Biola Alabi is notable for spearheading the berth of one of Africa’s biggest movie awards, Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards, while she worked with Multichoice Nigeria.
After her exit from the cable TV company, Alabi began working on her production house, Biola Alabi Media. The company delved into movie production and have successfully found space as a major player in the industry.
With the production of ‘Banana Island Ghost’ and ‘Lara & the beat,’ the company has made an impactful contribution to Nollywood.
Alabi went a step further to host a TV show on Arise Network. She has since been a host of the TV station coverage of the Academy Awards, Oscars since 2017.
Kemi Adetiba
Kemi Adetiba carved a niche for herself after shot series of music videos for top Nigerian musicians that included Olamide and Niyola.
A graduate of the New York Film Academy, Adetiba has worked as an On-Air Presenter, TV show host before she started shooting music videos.
A filmmaker, and television director whose works have appeared on Channel O, MTV Base, Soundcity TV, and BET, Kemi Adetiba made her entry into Nollywood when she worked on ‘Wedding Party 1’ for EbonyLife films.
Adetiba was also responsible for some issue based series and documentaries that include ‘Brotherhood’ and ‘King Women.’
The success of the feature film saw her making her second feature film, ‘King Of Boys,’ a political thriller that ruled 2018.
Aside from breaking her own record with ‘The Wedding Party 1,’ Adetiba was listed as a game changer in 2019.
According to a Nigerian economist, Bismarck Rewane, Kemi Adetiba amongst the 15 people who he believes will shape the country’s economy.
Tope Oshin
Tope Oshin was the only female director on M-Net’s hit soap opera ‘Tinsel’ in its first five seasons – she shot about 350 episodes of the show.
She has produced and directed several acclaimed movies such as ‘Fifty,’ ‘Journey to Self,’ ‘In Line’ among others.
She is also known for directing series such as ‘Hush,’ ‘Hotel Majestic,’ ‘The Apprentice Africa,’ ‘Shuga’ (Season 3 and 6).
Oshin has also directed several short films including ‘The Young Smoker’, ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ and ‘New Horizons.’
In 2016, she directed the documentary, “Amaka’s Kin: The Women Of Nollywood,” a memorial to influential filmmaker Amaka Igwe, who died in 2014, and had before her death, paved the way for most female filmmakers.
In 2017, she shot the critically acclaimed movie, ‘We don’t live here anymore’ and in 2018, she returned to the cinemas with ‘Up North.’
Genevieve Nnaji
Genevieve Nnaji is one of the accomplished Nigerian movie stars with mentions in international media.
The actress has featured in over 200 movies since her career kicked off 20 years ago. She also featured in the film ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ based on Chimamanda Ngozi’s book of the same name about the Nigerian-Biafran War from 1967-70.
In 2015, Nnaji made her debut as a producer when she co-produced ‘Road to yesterday’ which she also featured in.
In 2018, she made her directorial debut with the movie, ‘Lionheart.’ The movie became the first Nollywood movie to be acquired by Netflix before release. It was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and got good reviews.
Nnaji has since signed a management deal with a top US talent management firm and has been working on new grounds to break into Hollywood.
Bolanle Austen-Peters
The managing director and founder of renowned Arts and Cultural organisation, Terra Culture, Bolanle Austen-Peters ventured into filmmaking with “93 Days,” a stirring depiction of how the deadly Ebola virus was contained in Lagos.
Bolanle Austen-Peters Production is popular for producing critically acclaimed musicals such as “SARO the Musical,” “WAKAA!” and “FELA and the Kalakuta Queens.”
In 2018, Bolanle Austen-Peters took it a notch higher as she made her directorial debut by shooting her second feature film, ‘The Blings Lagosians.’
Biodun Stephens
Biodun Stephens resigned her job as an On-Air Presenter to study filmmaking and scriptwriting at the London film academy.
Upon her return, she immersed herself into making a change in Nollywood and partnered with Koga Entertainment to make the movie, ‘The Visit,’ which went on to open doors for her.
Working with several individuals, Stephens made headlines again with the interesting drama, ‘Picture Perfect’ in 2017.
In 2018, Stephens joins Tope Oshin as one of the female filmmakers working with M-Net and Multichoice Nigeria to create content for Africa Magic.
Stephens is billed to released a faith-based feature film, ‘Joba’ in 2019.
Credit: pulse.ng
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