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Yvonne Jegede reveals how not being Igbo affected her career in Nollywood

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Getting into Nollywood, especially back in the day, came with a lot of stories of struggle, hardship, endless auditioning, and a myriad of other things. One actress who is speaking out now about her own challenges trying to break into the Nigerian entertainment industry is star actress, Yvonne Jegede.

Jegede over the course of her career has starred in a number of blockbuster productions including 10 Days in Suncity, The FirstLady, Diamonds in the Sky, Okafor’s Law, Rising: City of Dreams, and many more. Yes, she’s enjoying her career now, but getting here wasn’t roses.

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During her interview with the women over at TVC’s Your View, the actress opened up about some of the obstacles she faced while trying to break into Nollywood. Here is what the actress said.

Speaking about her journey into Nollywood and the troubles she faced, Yvonne Jegede said:

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I joined Nollywood two times. The first time was when I was very young, during the African Queen era. Coming into Nollywood, I will not say I had a tough time. But I went for auditions. I trekked. I waka. I climbed okada well well. So it was a very good experience.

But one thing that kinda set me back at the time was the fact that I couldn’t speak Igbo and I was not an Igbo girl. So most times when I meet the marketers you know, they were old people, they would always speak me Igbo and I’d be like “I don’t understand what you’re saying” and they’ll be like “Ah ah”. So the communication was a problem. Most of them then were not enlightened like that. They were businessmen and it was a problem for me to really interact. But somehow somehow few of them gave me an opportunity. Then I left 2007.

Came back 2012, that was when I really came back. That was when I really came back and that was when I heard whim. It was hard because then people had seen some of my work and they were like “she sabi act that time, she go still sabi act?” I even got somebody who tried to give me a job in Enugu, he called me for a script then he said he had 10 scripts in total that he wanted to shoot and he wanted to put me in all of them. I said “Okay, alright. How much are you going to pay?” He said “Ehn, ah! I want to give you visibility, you dey still ask me how much”. For 10 movies. I had issues like that, I had problems! But here I am now.

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Breaking: Battle on Buka Street’ Grosses N640mln

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NollyWood Actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele, is now officially the first and only filmmaker to rake in over ₦600 million twice at the Nigerian Box Office.

This is as a result of data from the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) which shows that the actress’ newly-released comedy-drama, ‘Battle on Buka Street’ has earned over ₦640 million after spending just nine weeks in theatres.

The 2022 flick is now the highest grossing Nollywood movie of all time. This title was previously held by ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’, also by Akindele.

She is now the only Nigerian filmmaker to make over ₦500 million twice at the local box office.

The movie crossed the ₦500 million threshold after making ₦507.78 million in its fourth week at the cinemas.

‘Battle on Buka Street’, which has dominated the Nigerian Box Office since its release on December 12, 2022, also earned more than $60,000 in the United States despite showing in only 11 locations. It was also released in the United Kingdom.

‘Battle on Buka Street’ is a comedy-drama that tells the story of two half-sisters who have been rivals for a while. Their rivalry intensifies when they both set up their food businesses on the same street.

It stars Funke Akindele, Mercy Johnson, Nkem Owoh, Sola Sobowale, Kelvin Ikeduba, Tina Mba, and others.

Source: TCN

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Onny Michael shows off his multimillion naira mansion

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It has been flooding in congratulations for Nollywood actor Onny Michael as he just unveiled his multi millions mansion.

The excited new landlord posted the photo and video of his new building on his verified Instagram page and captioned it, “God did it .. I thank God for this one.”

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Since his post, his colleagues and followers on social media have been flooding his comment section with well wishes and congratulatory messages.

Zubby Michael wrote: Ogini Nebor Nebor. Congratulations Nwanne.

Destiny Etiko wrote: A Big congratulations bro.

Frederick Leonard wrote: Congratulations Nwanne.

sexysarraphina_ wrote: Waooooo congratulations onyem

Chizzy Alichi wrote: Congratulations my Gee.

mary.igwe wrote: Congratulations Nwokeoma, this is huge👏👏👏🎉

Walter Anga wrote: Na man you be. Congratulations my bro.

Just a few days ago, Skit maker, Isaac Aloma Junior popularly known as Zicsaloma got himself a luxurious car to mark the beginning of a New Year, 2023.

Sharing the good news on his verified Instagram page, Zicsaloma shared photos of the beautiful ride and captioned it: “My New Baby.”

His post has generated lots of congratulatory messages from fans and colleagues in the entertainment industry.

It would be recalled that late 2022, Zicsaloma bought himself a beautiful mansion in Lagos to mark his birthday.

The excited Funny Man shared the good news on his verified Instagram page on Monday, October 7, 2022 where he also asked friends and fans to credit his bank account so he would have a memorable birthday.

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Femi D. Ogunsanwo’s Labari Africa launches with $3 Million Nollywood fund

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The Lagos Job: Labari African Production

The already vibrant Nigerian movie industry is getting a further boost with the launch of a new production company and, with it, a new $3 million film fund.

Labari Africa Productions has been launched by director Femi D. Ogunsanwo and financial sector execs Tunde Leye and Adedayo Amzat, the three having previously partnered on Nollywood romantic comedy Finding Hubby and its sequel Finding Hubby 2, both directed by Ogunsanwo.

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The banner’s $3 million fund is aimed at a slate of Nollywood features while also supporting local filmmakers to develop and produce new films, providing mentorship and on-set training opportunity for emerging talent and supporting distribution and marketing efforts. Labari Africa claims that it’s the first in a series of funds to be raised in the coming years.

“We are excited to launch this new film fund and support a new wave of Nollywood filmmakers who tell the important stories that help position Africa favorably,” said Leye, who serves as managing partner of Labari Africa. “This $3 million fund will help provide the resources and support filmmakers need to bring their stories to life and showcase the incredible talent and creativity of the Nigerian film industry to the world.”

The first investment from the fund is the recently-wrapped heist-thriller The Lagos Job, produced and directed by Ogunsanwo. The film, tracing a young woman’s quest to avenge her father’s death on the orders of a powerful and connected rival, stars Joselyn Dumas, Baaj Adebule, Antar Laniyan, Omowunmi Dada, Ade Laoye, Bimbo Manuel, Frank Donga and Daniel K Daniel, with U.K.-based filmmaker Charles Oleghe having led cinematography. Future investments, according to Leye, will see the completion of a least one short film and a feature-length film script.

“From its humble beginnings, Nollywood has become a major contributor to the Nigerian economy, contributing 2.3 percent (about $600 million) to Nigeria’s GDP in 2021,” said Labari general partner Amzat. “We believe the time is right to bring expertise from the world of finance to bear on how our films are funded and ensure Nollywood’s continued growth and success. The fund will be open to established and emerging filmmakers, focusing on supporting projects that showcase Nigeria’s diverse culture and talent.”

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