…Eyes Oscar’s Slot

The Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions is thrilled to announce the arrival of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti the movie. It is the story of the legendary Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, mother to Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, in Silverbird Cinema, Victoria Island for an ongoing one-week screening, that will last till Thursday September 14, 2023.

This landmark film marks a new era in the production company’s illustrious journey and showcases its passion for creating captivating movies for global audiences.

Directed by the visionary Bolanle Austen-Peters, ‘Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’ (FRK) is notable for its brilliant storytelling, unique characters, and stunning craftsmanship and is already wowing audiences at the cinema since it started screening on September 8.

The film follows the story of Fela’s mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, from her pioneering days as the first female student at Abeokuta Grammar School to her marriage to Israel Ransome-Kuti. Together with her husband, they challenged oppression and created the Abeokuta Women’s Union, igniting a fierce battle against colonial and traditional rulers who stood in the way if fairness and justice.

This narrative artfully contrasts FRK’s tireless activism with her delicate balancing act as a wife and mother, revealing the indomitable spirit of a woman who changed the course of history.

This film emerges as one contribution to the important conversations people are having now around women, identity and the constant push for equality.

The phenomenal cast features groundbreaking performances from Joke Silva, Kehinde Bankole, Ibrahim Suleiman, Jide Kosoko, Dele Odule, Adebayo Salami, Keppy Ekpeyoung, Adunni Ade, Omowunmi Dada, Patrick Diabuah and others.

Austen-Peters, the driving force behind the film, expressed her enthusiasm on where the film might be headed, stating, “Submitting Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti for the consideration of Nigeria Official Screening Committee (NOSC) towards 96th Academy Awards next year is a humbling and exhilarating experience. Our team poured heart and soul into this project, and this submission is a testament to their unwavering dedication.”

BAP Productions, known for its commitment to cinematic excellence, views this submission to NOSC as a significant milestone in its history.

Speaking about this, Yakubu Yahaya, an Associate Producer said, “It represents the values and artistic vision that have guided our company for years. The film will undoubtedly leave a mark on the global film scene, and this submission for Nigeria’s Official Selection Committee for the Academy Awards sets the stage for an exciting journey through the forthcoming global awards season.”

Grammy award-winner Burna Boy has achieved a massive milestone as the first artiste to record over a billion streams on Boomplay, the largest digital music streaming platform in Africa.

This achievement comes after the release of his latest album and solidifies his position as a powerhouse in the Afrobeats genre.

Burna had reached half a billion streams on the streaming platform in September 2022 also the first artiste to do so at the time.

Boomplay is the largest digital music streaming platform in Africa and Burna Boy is also the most followed artiste on the platform with more than 600,000 followers.

The ‘Last Last’ crooner was also the first Nigerian artiste to surpass one billion career streams on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube and Audiomack.

Due to some controversial statement he made about the Afrobeats genre prior to his album’s release, the album has had a polarising reception.

However, the album’s hit track, ‘Sitting On Top Of The World’, debuted at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his fourth entry on the chart.

Audio Visual Rights Society of Nigeria, AVRS, Nigeria’s sole collective management organisation for audiovisual works, is hosting a stakeholders’ forum in Port Harcourt to educate and enlighten copyright owners and users in the South-South region of Nigeria.

The forum aims to emphasize the importance of meeting copyright obligations, promote partnerships, and boost investments in the audiovisual sub-sector.

The select stakeholders’ forum which is scheduled to hold at the prestigious Le’Meridien Hotels (Ogeyi Place), GRA Phase II in the heart of Port Harcourt will be an important gathering of creators, actors, producers, filmmakers, hotels, restaurants, television stations, transport companies, video streaming services, OTT platforms, etc in Rivers State and its surrounding states.

According to a statement made available to TCN, the forum will also be attended by officials of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the Federal government agency responsible for copyright regulation, administration and enforcement in Nigeria.

Speaking on the upcoming event, filmmaker and Chairman of AVRS, Mr. Mahmood Ali-Balogun said, “the Forum is aimed at providing continuous education and enlightenment on the need for commercial and public users of audiovisual works to meet their copyright obligations to AVRS in line with the extant laws. Such compliance from the users ensures that filmmakers and copyright owners in the film sectors are compensated for their creativity and labour. It also helps in boosting investments in the audiovisual sub-sector and performance of Nigeria’s creative economy at large.”

He added that “the Forum would also provide AVRS the opportunity to initiate functional partnerships with Rivers State Government, hotel unions, broadcast organizations and other relevant stakeholders in Rivers State and neighbouring States in the South-South and South Eastern parts of the country.”

The AVRS Select Stakeholders’ Forum has been held several times in Lagos, Abeokuta, Abuja, Kano and Benin among others.

The event would be coming up on Tuesday, September 19, 2023.